Russian Ministry of Justice: Strasbourg Court has not confirmed any cases of violation of civilian rights by Russian servicemen during the August 2008 events
The Russian Ministry of Justice disagrees with the findings of the European Court of Human Rights, including the imposition of responsibility on Russia for the incidents in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since August 12, 2008, and says there is no direct evidence of Russian military involvement in the incidents.
"Such an assessment of the circumstances of the Russian Federation's involvement in the protection of civilians and the prevention of escalation of the armed conflict is based on the concept of extraterritorial jurisdiction of the European Court, which contradicts the position of the UN International Court of Justice and generally accepted rules of international law", - reads the statement of the Ministry of Justice of Russia.
According to Mikhail Galperin, Russia's representative in the Strasbourg court and Deputy Justice Minister, the Russian side was able to convince European judges that the legal assessment of the actions of the Russian armed forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 8-12, 2008 is beyond their jurisdiction.
"The Georgian side has tried, however unsuccessfully, to prove that the European Convention on Human Rights applies not only in peacetime, but also in hostilities, which undermines international humanitarian law. We have been able to convince European judges that the legal assessment of the actions of the Russian armed forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 8-12, 2008 is beyond their jurisdiction. Also, the court has not confirmed any case of violation of the rights of civilians by Russian military personnel during the events of August 2008," - said Mikhail Galperin.
The Russian Ministry of Justice emphasizes that the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights does not contain a decision on financial compensation.
For the record, the Strasbourg court announced the verdict into the case of the 2008 war. The European Court of Human Rights has upheld Georgia's claim that Russia violated a number of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights during the August 2008 war.
