The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Russia and its proxy security forces in Crimea committed numerous human rights violations during their decade-long occupation of the former Ukrainian territory.
In a case brought by the Ukrainian government, the court found evidence that Russia had illegally persecuted and detained people who criticized Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and had systematically repressed ethnic and religious minorities in Crimea. The evidence presented to the court painted a picture of the region under Moscow’s authoritarian rule, where any criticism was severely punished and people with political connections were not held accountable.
Between 2014 and 2018, 43 cases of enforced disappearances took place, with eight people still missing. The court found that most of the missing were pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists, or members of the Crimean Tatar minority. In its verdict, the court added that investigations into the disappearances had made no progress.
Many men and women have been abducted by Crimean Self-Defense Forces, Russian security forces, or Russian Federal Security Service agents, and detainees have been subjected to torture, such as electrocution and mock executions, and held in inhumane conditions, particularly in the only pretrial detention center. Simferopol.
Russian authorities also transferred about 12,500 prisoners from Crimea to labor camps in Russia. Ukrainian political prisoners in particular were transferred to distant prisons, with little chance for their families to reunite with them. The court ordered Russia to return these prisoners.
Russia Exit the court In 2022, the court’s jurisdiction was terminated, cutting off Moscow’s critics’ avenues for justice. Russia has not cooperated with the court in the Crimea case, nor has it allowed investigators access to the region. Instead, Ukrainian lawyers and the court’s judges rely on reports from international nongovernmental organizations and testimonies from witnesses.
Evidence cited in the ruling shows how Russia and its proxy governments in the region have created an atmosphere of repression, using sweeping laws against extremism and terrorism to stifle dissent. Pro-Ukrainian media have been banned and the Ukrainian language has been suppressed in schools. The court found that the property and assets of Ukrainian banks and their customers have been nationalized.
Crimean Tatars have also been targeted, with between 15,000 and 30,000 Tatars fleeing the region since 2014. Tatar television stations have been taken off the air, cultural and religious buildings have been vandalized, and some Tatar houses have been painted with crosses. Any gatherings of Tatar leaders or groups perceived to be pro-Ukrainian have been violently dispersed and attendees detained.
The occupying government in Crimea has also cracked down on religious diversity, raiding religious schools and mosques, expelling Ukrainian Orthodox priests, and repurposing churches. Journalists critical of the regime are also frequently harassed and threatened.
“The chilling reality is that resistance to the occupation is not only futile but extremely dangerous,” Ben Emmerson, a Ukrainian government lawyer, argued before a judge in December. Russia did not participate in the proceedings.
In February 2014, Russian troops marched into the Crimean Peninsula, which the Kremlin illegally annexed, and in February 2022 began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today, thousands of Russian troops occupy a region that is not only ideologically important to President Vladimir Putin but also strategically important in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration agreed For the Kyiv government Equipped with the Long-Range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), it can be used to strike Russian troops in occupied areas.
