The Court concluded in a verdict announced on Tuesday that Russia should pay compensation of EUR 7500 for each of the persons and organisations who lodged the complaint. In addition, it should cover costs (€850 each) of court costs.
178 people and 2 media organisations — “New Gazieta” and tv Dożd, belonging to the most crucial independent media operating in Russia until February 2022, began the invasion of Ukraine.
In its ruling, the court recalled that after the invasion began, regulations were adopted in Russia to respect as offences the alleged discredit of the army and the spread of alleged "fake news" about the Russian army. The ETPCz considered that the functioning of these provisions was a coordinated action, "to silence critics", alternatively than combating threats to national security.
Those who made a complaint were punished under this law for, among another things, critical opinions on Russia's military activities in Ukraine, dissemination of information that deviated from authoritative relations or afraid civilian victims and war crimes in Ukraine, for peaceful protests against the war, expressing support for the country being attacked, as well as for the general criticism of the Russian authorities.
Russia refuses to execute ETPCzc judgments
"New Gazieta" and Dożd had to retreat any of the materials and then the authorities blocked their websites. The Court recalled that the weekly edition of the “New Gazieta” reached 300 000 copies and that the paper website looked at 3 million people daily. The number of audiences of tv Dożd amounted to about 18 million per year.
ETPCz considered that the Russian authorities had violated the rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, in peculiar freedom of speech, as well as fair trial and prohibition of discrimination.
Russia refuses to execute judgments of the ETPCz. Following the aggression against Ukraine, she was excluded from the Council of Europe and decided not to enforce the ETPC judgments adopted after March 2022. Russia ceased to be a organization to the European Convention on Human Rights in mid-September 2022 and is so not subject to the jurisdiction of the ECHR. However, the Court continues to have the power to deal with complaints lodged before that date and considers that Russia is required to enforce judgments in these cases.
