The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has held Russia responsible for wide and serious human rights abuses in Ukraine between May 2014 and September 2022, including extrajudicial executions, torture, sexual violence, and forced labor. The decision, made by the court’s grand chamber, termed the abuses as “manifestly unlawful conduct on a massive scale.”
This historic ruling encompasses the period from the beginning of Russia’s incursion into Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014 up to its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, until Russia withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights. Russia refused to take part in the hearings and has promised to disregard the ruling.
The court established cogent evidence of widespread sexual violence employed as a weapon of war, such as the violent rapes and sexual assaults involving electric shocks, beatings, and mutilation. Severe treatment was also inflicted on male detainees meant to humiliate and erase their masculinity.
Other cited violations are indiscriminate attacks, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, summary killings, and the transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children to Russia. Widespread repression of Ukrainian language and culture, religious persecution, and intimidation of media workers were also recorded by the court.
These measures seek to obliterate democratic institutions and demonstrate utter disrespect for the rule of law,” the court wrote. It went on to say that the extent of abuse and disrespect for international standards is unprecedented in its history.
The ruling was hailed by Ukraine as a “historic and undeniable victory.” The court has not yet ruled on whether Russia must pay reparations, although Moscow has already declined to respect such verdicts.
In a significant finding, the court also ruled that the downing of flight MH17 by a Russian-supplied missile violated the European Convention on Human Rights, citing Russia’s direct involvement in the tragedy that killed 298 civilians.