Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Russia must pay individuals and organisations that have been deemed “foreign agents” up to €10,000 in damages.
In its ruling, the ECHR stated that Russia’s “foreign agent” law violated several human rights and freedoms, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of expression.
The judgement condemned the “foreign agent” law for being “stigmatising, misleading and used in an overly broad and unpredictable way” which led to “a climate of suspicion and distrust towards independent voices and undermined the very foundations of a democratic society”.
The court also recognised that the “foreign agent” law had become increasingly repressive since its enactment in 2012. Originally only applicable to organisations who received funding from non-Russian sources, the law has since been broadened so that anyone who expresses opinions that contradict the Kremlin’s policies or engages in activism can be deemed a “foreign agent”.
A total of 107 Russian organisations and individuals labelled as “foreign agents”, among them human rights NGO Memorial, news outlet Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe and prominent Russian journalists and human rights activists, have brought their cases to the ECHR over the years.
The court ruled that Russia must pay all 107 applicants between €5,500 and €10,000 as compensation for non-pecuniary damage, and various other amounts for pecuniary damage.
The applicants argued in their petition that the “foreign agent” label restricted their rights to privacy, unlawfully prevented professional activity, and led to “significant financial and administrative burden”.
Despite the ruling, applicants will not be financially compensated by Russia as Vladimir Putin signed legislation into law in June 2022 which stated that Russia would no longer comply with ECHR rulings passed after 15 March 2022.