ECHR orders Russia to pay for silencing Ukraine critics
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has ordered Russia to pay compensation to media outlets and individuals convicted of spreading so-called fake news about the invasion of Ukraine. Among those filing a complaint against Russia was the independent publication "Novaya Gazeta."
The Court's verdict, announced on Tuesday, stated that Russia should pay compensation of €7,500 ($7,800) to each of the individuals and organizations that filed a complaint. Additionally, it should cover court costs amounting to €850 ($880) for each case.
A total of 178 individuals and two media organizations — "Novaya Gazeta" and the television network Dozhd, which were among the most important independent media operating in Russia until February 2022, when the country began its invasion of Ukraine — approached the court.
The ruling noted that after the invasion began, laws were adopted in Russia that allowed labeling the so-called discrediting of the army and the dissemination of alleged "fake news" (false information) about the Russian army as offenses.
The ECHR found that the enactment of these laws was a coordinated effort "aimed at silencing critics," rather than combating threats to national security.
Penalized for complaint
The individuals who filed the complaint were penalized under these laws for reasons such as expressing critical views on Russia's military actions in Ukraine, disseminating information that diverged from official accounts or pertained to civilian casualties and war crimes in Ukraine, participating in peaceful protests against the war, expressing support for the attacked country, as well as general criticism of the Russian authorities.
"Novaya Gazeta" and Dozhd were forced to retract certain materials, and later their websites were blocked by the authorities. The court recalled that the weekly circulation of "Novaya Gazeta" reached 300,000 copies, and the newspaper’s website had 3 million daily visits. The audience for Dozhd Television reached about 18 million annually.
The ECHR deemed that the Russian authorities violated rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly the right to freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial, and the prohibition of discrimination.
Russia refuses to comply with ECHR rulings. Following its aggression against Ukraine, it was excluded from the Council of Europe and decided not to comply with ECHR judgments issued after March 2022. In mid-September 2022, Russia ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights and thus is no longer under ECHR jurisdiction.
However, the Court still retains the competence to hear cases that were filed before this date and believes that Russia is obliged to comply with rulings in these matters.
