Council of Europe “deeply deplores” Russia for not paying €10 mln compensation to Georgia after ruling

The Council of Europe’s committee of ministers on Friday said it “deeply deplored” the lack of response of the Russian authorities on the 2019 judgement from the European court of human rights that ordered the country to pay €10 million in compensation to 1,500 Georgian nationals over their arrest, detention and collective expulsion from Russia between 2006-2007.

The body has had to remind Russia of its obligation several times since the announcement of the ruling in January 2019, with the country required to have provided the funds within three months after the verdict was delivered. 

• ECHR: Russia must pay Georgia €10,000,000 for arrest, expulsion of Georgians in ‘06-’07

The committee said it “firmly reiterated” that the payment of just satisfaction awarded by the ECHR “is an unconditional obligation”, stressing that the delay in fulfilling this obligation “deprives the individual victims of the violations from receiving compensation for the damages suffered by them”. 

It again exhorted the Russian authorities to pay the just satisfaction, together with the default interest accrued, without any further delay”, said the CoE, noting that the committee would resume consideration of this case at their next meeting on execution of ECHR judgements in December. 

Tbilisi says more than 4,600 expulsion orders were issued by Russian authorities against Georgians in 2006. Photo: rferl. 

The ECHR judgement concerns the arrest, detention and collective expulsion of Georgian nationals from Russia in the autumn of 2006, shortly after the arrest of four Russian officers on charges of espionage by the previous, United National Movement government of Georgia in September 2006.

The Georgian government says that in 2006, more than 4,600 expulsion orders were issued by Russian authorities against Georgian nationals, with more  than 2,300 detained and forcibly expelled from the country, while many others left the country by their own means.

• The two key levers the Committee of Ministers has to make Russia meet its obligations are the suspension of the country’s membership or its voting rights in the Council of Europe.
• Russia regained its voting right to CoE only in June 2019, having lost it in 2014 following its annexation of the Crimea, amid the protest of Georgia, Ukraine and five other countries.
• Russia, which earlier had declined to pay its membership dues, agreed to pay them, as well as fines, amounting to €75 million before regaining the right.