ECHR decision on human rights violations in Autonomous Republic of Crimea to become basis for further consideration of cases related to Crimea – Mudra
The decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case of Russia's human rights violations in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an opportunity for Ukraine to establish justice at the international level and will become a powerful tool on international platforms, said Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra.
"One of the key points in this decision is the recognition that Russia acted in violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law, and, accordingly, the Convention on Human Rights, by establishing its legislation in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. This means that all so-called decrees, laws, other acts issued by Russia and its occupation authorities, and actions carried out on their basis will not be recognized by the ECHR as legitimate. That is, the entire judicial system in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and the decisions made by such courts are not considered legal for the purposes of cases considered by the ECHR," Mudra explained during the telethon on Friday.
Moreover, she emphasized that the ECHR recognized that Russia has been exercising control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol at least since February 27, 2014, and thus completely rejected Russia's objections regarding the so-called "lawfulness" of the annexation of Crimea. It was also possible to prove the presence of administrative practice of violations by Russia in the ECHR - repetition of actions inconsistent with the Convention's violations and official tolerance by state bodies.
"This ECHR decision is an opportunity for Ukraine to establish justice at the international level, to show the international community real evidence of Russia's crimes, assessed by an independent international judicial body. The ECHR decision in this case will not only help individual applicants who are currently awaiting the consideration of their cases in the ECHR, but will also be a powerful tool for arbitrations and for Ukraine as a whole in diplomatic, political, and legal terms on international platforms. Therefore, the ECHR decision on the interstate case 'Ukraine vs. Russia' regarding Crimea will be one of the key ones for courts of different jurisdictions in resolving disputes related to the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," Mudra said.