ECHR Orders Russia to Compensate Georgia Nearly $300 Million for Post-War Human Rights Violations

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Russia must remit over 250 million euros (approximately $289 million) to Georgia for transgressions that occurred following the short conflict between the two nations in August 2008.

The court accused Russia of obstructing individuals from freely accessing Abkhazia and South Ossetia, regions in Georgia that have declared independence and were subsequently recognized by Moscow after the Russo-Georgian War.

In its findings, the court highlighted numerous violations by Russia, such as excessive force, mistreatment, unlawful detentions, and unjustified limitations on daily movement across the administrative boundary between Georgian-controlled areas and the separatist regions. The ECHR mandated compensation to be provided to nearly 30,000 victims.

The ECHR is part of the Council of Europe, which is the leading human rights organization in the continent. Following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was expelled from this body. Nevertheless, the court maintains that Moscow remains accountable for the violations committed while it was still a member.

The court stated that it falls to the Georgian government to create an «effective mechanism» for distributing compensation to the individual victims within 18 months of Russia’s payment. However, given that Moscow has a history of disregarding ECHR decisions—even when it was a member—it’s unlikely that it will comply with this order.

Georgian officials report that individuals have been killed attempting to cross into or out of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with others facing detention for «illegally crossing» the administrative boundary line.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this story.