CoE worried that non-fulfilment of ECHR decision in Ilascu case could create a precedent

The member states of the Council of Europe called attention to the danger of creating a non-fulfilment precedent of an ECHR decision in what concerns the case “Ilascu and other vs. Moldova and Russia”. This issue was discussed at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of CoE. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the representatives of Moldova emphasised the cynical and destructive attitude of the separatist regime from Tiraspol and its refusal to abide by the decision of the court, calling on the CoE member states to intensify pressures on the Transnistrian administration to set free Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa. In particular, the Moldovan delegation urged Russia to get involved, both as a party named in the ECHR judgement and as a mediator in the settlement process of the Transnistrian dispute. The EU presidency made a statement by means of which it reiterated the concern about “Ilascu” case and emphasised that it is compulsory that a state complies with the decisions of the Court. It turned down any insinuation that the ECHR decision on Ilascu case is allegedly politically grounded, emphasising that the decisions of the Court must be fulfilled according to the article 46 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Island, Liechtenstein, Norway, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Switzerland supported the statement of EU. Six members of the so-called “Ilascu group”, including Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa were arrested by the separatist authorities in June 1992. All of them were convicted for different periods for “committing terrorist acts”, and Ilascu was given the death penalty, but subsequently this punishment was replaced with life imprisonment. In May 2001 Ilascu was set free, and has settled in Romania, where he became a senator. In 2004 Andrei Ivantoc, Tudor Petrov-Popa, Alexandru Leshco and Ilie Ilascu won a case at ECHR against Russia and Moldova, the Court asking for the immediate release of those two. Two weeks ago, the so-called minister of foreign affairs of the separatist administration Valeri Litkai said that the convicts Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa will be set free on May 28 and on June 2, respectively, upon expiry of their imprisonment term.