The European Court of Human Rights criticized Russia for denying access to archives on Soviet repression. a non-governmental organization working on this issue, Memorial, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
The study of historical truth is an integral part of freedom of expression
– emphasized the Court based in Strasbourg in a statement.
The complaint in this case was filed in 2012-22 by five Russian citizens researching the history of political repression in the Soviet Union and by Memorial to gain access to archives regarding, among other things, “ethnic executions and deportations ordered by extrajudicial authorities in 1930s and 1940s.”
At the same time, Marie Dupuy, niece of Swiss Raoul Wallenberg – the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews at the end of World War II by providing them with Swedish documents – also sought access to archives relating to Soviet repression. Dupuy was seeking information about the fate of Wallenberg who died in July 1947 at the Lubyanka in Moscow.
In all cases, applicants were completely denied access to information, provided incomplete information or were prohibited from copying original documents
– said the Court.
One of the applicants was even found guilty of illegally obtaining “personal and family secrets” from victims of ethnic oppression while researching the forced resettlement of Russians of German origin.
Russia’s Responsibilities Before the Court
The ECtHR held that denying access to the archives constituted “an interference with the right of such persons to receive information” and therefore constituted a violation of Art. 10th European Convention on Human Rights, regarding freedom of expression.
After the attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe and as of 16 September 2022, Russia is no longer a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, but is accountable to the Court for violations committed before the Council of Europe. exception.
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