TBILISI, October 15 – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Russia to pay Georgia EUR 253 million in compensation for violations linked to Moscow’s ongoing occupation of Georgian territories, the country’s Justice Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The ruling in the so-called “continued occupation” case, or formally “Georgia v. Russia (IV)”, came down yesterday. The court upheld Georgia’s evidence and legal arguments and ordered Russia to compensate more than 29,000 Georgian citizens affected by human rights abuses along the occupation lines and in the territories controlled by Russian forces.
According to the ministry, the decision builds on the ECHR’s April 9, 2024 ruling, which found Russia fully responsible for mass detentions, attacks, killings, and other violations committed against civilians in the occupied regions and adjacent areas during the ongoing occupation and so-called “borderization” process.
This latest judgment follows a series of landmark cases Georgia has won against Russia in Strasbourg. In “Georgia v. Russia (I)”, which dealt with the mass deportation of ethnic Georgians from Russia, the court ordered Moscow to pay nearly EUR 10 million. In “Georgia v. Russia (II)”, related to the 2008 August War, Russia was ordered to pay around EUR 130 million in compensation for large-scale abuses committed during and after the conflict.
Although Russia is no longer a member of the Council of Europe, it remains legally obligated to comply with the court’s decisions. The ministry said Moscow continues to incur daily fines for noncompliance, and Georgia is working with the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to ensure enforcement.
The Georgian government hailed the ruling as another “historic victory”, thanking all state agencies involved in collecting evidence and reaffirming its commitment to seeking justice for victims of the occupation.
