ECtHR found Russia guilty of violating the right to peaceful assembly in occupied Crimea
Kyiv • UNN
The ECtHR found Russia responsible for human rights violations in Crimea in the case of Bekirov and Others v. Russia. 43 residents, mostly Crimean Tatars, were subjected to illegal persecution and arrests for peaceful pro-Ukrainian actions.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled in the case of Bekirov and Others v. Russia, establishing Russia's responsibility for the human rights situation in Crimea. This was reported by the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the autonomy, writes UNN.
The case concerns events related to the participation of 43 local residents of Crimea, most of whom are representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, in peaceful protests on the peninsula. The participants of the gatherings sought to publicly express their pro-Ukrainian position, as well as their disagreement with the policy of the occupation administration and the systemic persecution of Crimean residents. However, instead of exercising their guaranteed right to freedom of peaceful assembly, they were subjected to illegal persecution and arrests.
The applicants appealed to the ECHR, which recognized that the occupation administration had indeed violated their right to peaceful assembly. In addition, the Court noted that the actions of the Russian occupation authorities, including the police and the so-called "courts," were based on Russian domestic law, which contradicts the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
The case of Bekirov and Others v. Russia was the first substantive decision in individual cases related to armed conflict, and it also opens up the possibility for applicants to receive compensation in the future.