EU Reacts to European Court’s Russia vs. Georgia Case Verdict
Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, Peter Stano said today that European Court’s recent landmark ruling “clearly concludes that after 12 August 2008 the Russian Federation, exercising effective control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, violated several provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights.”
The Lead Spokesperson stated: “Achieving justice and accountability is an important part of conflict resolution and the EU calls upon the Russian Federation to ensure the proper follow-up of the ruling.”
“The European Union is fully committed to supporting conflict resolution, which also requires efforts to address the legacy of past conflicts,” including through its engagement as co-chair in the Geneva International Discussions, the efforts of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, and the crucial role played on the ground by the EU Monitoring Mission,” the statement underlined.
The Spokesperson further reiterated the 27-member bloc’s “firm support” towards Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled on January 21 that Russia was responsible for the breach of six articles of the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as for failure to conduct an effective investigation into the alleged breach of the right to life, in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War of August 2008. The Court also asserted that since August 12, 2008, when the active phase of the war ended, Russia exercised “effective control” over Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.
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