ECHR finds Russia guilty of systematic suppression of freedom of speech and repression for criticizing the war against Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The ECHR found Russia guilty of systematic violations of freedom of speech through laws on “fake news” and “discrediting the army.” The court emphasized the illegitimacy of the decisions of the Crimean “courts” and the possibility of using this decision to protect victims of repression.
The ECHR found Russia guilty of systematic suppression of freedom of speech and persecution of people for criticizing the war against Ukraine.
This was reported by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, UNN reports.
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The ECtHR issued an important judgment in the group case Novaya Gazeta and Others v. Russia and 161 other applications. Among the applicants were three Ukrainian citizens, whose cases were joined by the Government of Ukraine as a third party
The court reportedly unanimously found that Russia had violated the right to freedom of speech by introducing laws on “defamation of the army” and “fake news” after the invasion.
These laws were used to systematically suppress any criticism of the war. The ECtHR specifically drew attention to the illegal sentences handed down in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Sevastopol and emphasized that all decisions of the Crimean “courts” are illegitimate.
This decision has become an important document that records systemic human rights violations by Russia and can be used to protect victims of repression in the international arena, as well as to increase pressure on Russia in international courts and processes.