On 20 January, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered its judgment in the case Bekirov and Others v. Russia, establishing Russia’s responsibility for the human rights situation in Crimea.

The case concerns events related to the participation of 43 local residents of Crimea — most of whom are ethnic Crimean Tatars — in peaceful protests on the peninsula. The participants sought to publicly express their pro-Ukrainian stance as well as their disagreement with the policies of the occupying administration and the systematic persecution of Crimea’s residents. However, instead of being able to exercise their guaranteed right to freedom of peaceful assembly, they were subjected to unlawful persecution and arrests.

The applicants appealed to the ECHR, which found that the occupying administration had indeed violated their right to peaceful assembly. Furthermore, the Court noted that the actions of the Russian occupying authorities, including the police and the so-called courts, were based on the domestic legislation of the Russian Federation, which is incompatible with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The case Bekirov and Others v. Russia marks the first judgment on the merits in individual cases related to an armed conflict and also paves the way for the applicants to seek compensation in the future.

The full text of the judgment is available at: https://cutt.ly/DtzkCb29.