The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered the Russian authorities to pay Novaya Gazeta and journalists Roman AninIvan Zhilin, Lola Tagaeva and Alexander Litinsky 15 thousand euros in total.
The court combined several of Novaya’s statements into two cases.
First caseaccording to which the ECtHR ordered to pay compensation to the publication, concerns two publications by journalists Roman Anin and Ivan Zhilin.
The first material “Princess Olga’s Secret”written by Anin, talks about how the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin associated with one of the most expensive yachts in the world. In 2016, the Basmanny Court of Moscow acknowledged this material discredits the honor and dignity of the Russian billionaire.
Second post, “Khusnidin must confess that he blew up the house”, talks about the torture of Khusnidin Zainabidinov by the FSB. The power department filed a lawsuit against Novaya Gazeta for libel, and the claim was satisfied. Now the material is not available on the Novaya website, you can only read the “refutation” published at the request of the same Basmanny court.
In total, according to these two statements, the ECHR ordered Russia to pay Novaya Gazeta 7,500 euros.
Second case, according to which Novaya Gazeta was also awarded 7,500 euros, concerns the material written by journalists Lola Tagaeva and Alexander Litinsky. We are talking about a text about provocations against oppositionists and the involvement of youth in this movement “OUR”.
Kommersant.Ru, 01/11/2023, “ECtHR awards Russian journalists €15,000 for lost cases in Russia”: The plaintiffs in the second case were Novaya Gazeta and its journalists Alexander Litinsky and Lola Tagaeva, the publisher of Vedomosti, the media group Business News Media, and the former deputy editor-in-chief of Vedomosti Kirill Kharatyan (recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent). In this case, the court ordered Russia to pay €7.5 thousand to Lola Tagaeva and Alexander Litinsky, as well as Vedomosti journalist Kirill Kharatyan. Their texts about the Nashi movement and Igor Sechin in 2010, 2011 and 2014 were recognized by Russian courts as “discrediting” the honor and dignity of the heroes of the materials: the ex-head of Rosmolodezh Vasily Yakemenko and Mr. Sechin. — Inset K.ru
The ECtHR found that in all three cases, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which ensures the right to freedom of expression, was violated by the applicants.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on non-execution of ECtHR judgments issued after March 15. After that, the Council of Europe reportedthat Russia owed about €74 million in fair compensation under the decisions of the ECtHR.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on March 16 expelled Russia from the Council of Europe. This happened after PACE unanimously voted for Russia’s “immediate” withdrawal from the Council. The text of the Assembly’s statement notes that the Russian Federation “committed gross violations of the Charter of the Council of Europe, incompatible with the status of a member state, and is not fulfilling its obligations to the Council of Europe.” The ECHR clarified that Russia would lose its status as a party to the European Convention on Human Rights from September 16.