European Court of Human Rights orders Russia to compensate property owners in breakaway Abkhazia

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia must compensate property owners in the breakaway region of Abkhazia who were forced to abandon their homes and have been unable to use their properties since the 2008 conflict. The case, “Taganova and Others v. Georgia and Russia,” involves several individuals who were deprived of their properties due to the ongoing tensions and Russia’s de facto control over the region.

The Court found that Russia violated the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically the provisions on the “right to property” and “respect for family and private life.” The ruling confirmed that Abkhazia is a territory under Russian control and that the applicants, who owned properties in the region, had no effective domestic remedies available in either Georgia or Russia to protect their property rights.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia welcomed the ruling, stating that Russia was held responsible for the violations of property rights. The claimants in the case include two Russian citizens and four Georgian citizens, all of whom were displaced during the armed conflict that began in 1992 and worsened during the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.

“Due to the military actions that began in 1992, most applicants fled Abkhazia to territories controlled by Georgia and were unable to return. The Court also noted that Georgia continued efforts to restore state control over the region, including through the passage of the 2008 law which declared property transactions in the occupied territories illegal,” the Georgian Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

Georgia’s Justice Minister, Anri Okhanashvili, praised the ruling, stating that the decision reaffirmed Georgia’s territorial integrity and its ongoing commitment to challenging the occupation of Abkhazia and other regions under Russian control.