2006 mass deportation: Georgia helps its citizens get compensation from Russia

Georgia’s Justice Ministry has sent detailed information to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) about more than 1,700 Georgian nationals who were among the mass deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia in 2006.

Today a high official from Georgia’s Justice Ministry said the identities and documents that proved the deportation of 1,775 Georgian citizens 10 years ago had been sent to the ECHR to help the compensation process advance.

The Ministry’s announcement referred to an incident in 2006 when the mass deportation of thousands of Georgian citizens from Russia took place following Russia-Georgia espionage controversy. In 2014 the ECHR ruled these actions by Russia were unlawful and demanded Russia to pay compensation to the affected Georgian families.

The mass deportation was preceded by the arrest of four Russian officers on charges of espionage by the previous government of Georgia in September 2006. In revenge, later in 2006 large numbers of Georgian nationals were mistreated in Russia.

Within this mistreatment several thousand ethnic Georgians were unlawfully arrested in Russia and expelled, which the Georgian side assessed as a "mild form of ethnic cleansing”.

In 2007, Georgia’s previous government filed a complaint to the ECHR in the name of 4,634 Georgians who were victims of the 2006 mass deportation. At that time Georgia only sent documents relating to 118 victims to Strasbourg.

The trial lasted for several years and in the meantime a new government formed in Georgia. The new Government intensified work for the ECHR so it could make a decision in favour of Georgia, not only for the initial 118 citizens but in all 4,634 cases.

On July 3, 2014 the ECHR announced its long-awaited verdict in favour of all 4,634 Georgian citizens and said Russia and Georgia now needed to reach an agreement on compensation.

To make the compensation possible Georgia needed to collect and send all information about the victims to Strasbourg.

Today Georgia’s Justice Ministry said it took "immense efforts” and "colossal work” to find the victims of the incident that took place 10 years ago. After finding the citizens, the Ministry collected documents that proved their deportation and sent them to the European Court.

The Ministry said it would be much easier and "logical” if the previous government had done that work when they filed the initial complaint to the ECHR in 2007 shortly after the incident happened.

The Justice Ministry also said it was ready to further cooperate with the European Court and provide any additional information or documentation that was needed for the affected Georgian citizewas to receive compensation from Russia.