The European Court for Human Rights, the ECHR, recognized that Ukraine is not guilty of human rights abuse in the occupied Donbas. The respective decision was posted on the court’s website.
The appeal against Ukraine was filed by prisoner Aleksandr Khlebik, put behind the bars under charges with several crimes in April 2013; he currently serves time in Starobilsk, Luhansk region. The court found Khlebik guilty of armed robbery, banditism and illegal storage of firearms.
Soon after conviction, Khlebik filed application to the Luhansk appeal court; however, the decision was not meant to be since the city was occupied by pro-Russian militants in spring 2014, while all court materials remained in Luhansk.
Khlebik filed the appeal to ECHR, stating Ukraine violated his right for honest justice in the adequate time period.
The ECHR unanimously recognized that Ukraine takes no responsibility for the consequences of the loss of the occupied area in Luhansk region.
