In REF: Russia Petitions European Court, Georgia vs. Russian Federation

Russian Minsitry of Justice sent an official letter to the European Human Rights Court where they stated the suit of the Georgian Government brought to the Strasbourg Court was groundless. The suit deals with the mass deportation of Georgian citizens in 2006 from the Russian Federation, which is considered as a human right violation.

In autumn of 2006 on the background of the tensed relationship between Georgia and Russia had reached a new low over the arrest of some alledged Russian spies operating on Georgian territory. Four intelligence agents were arrested and later deported. In a punitive response, thousands of Georgian citizens were deported the territory of the Russian Federation and it resulted into the untimely death of several people. Consequently Georgia has brought a suit before the Strasbourg Court of human rights against the Russian Federation.

The letter of the Russian Ministry of Justice states that Georgian citizens were not deported on ethnic or political grounds. To prove the statement they provide statistic data from the Ministry of Justice showing that 6 thousand Uzbek citizens were deported from Russia, and that the actual number of deported Georgians did not exceed 4 thousand and it does not deem itself to be responsible for the death of Georgian citizens in the isolator’s cells where they were first detained waiting for final deportation.

The Ministry of Justice claims that the people died because of chronic diseases and pre-existing conditions.

The Russian Ministry of Justice states that the Strasbourg Court should not accept the suit of Georgian government because of the breaching procedural standards.

Georgia had initially made it claim to a Russian court and only afterwards was the right inherent to be able to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. 

Source: Medianews