Schools in Transnistria appeal to ECHR again

The Russian Federation didn’t fulfill its obligations to pay damages of €1 million to the plaintiffs in the case of the schools teaching based on the Latin Script in Transnistria within the term of three months set by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Schools’ principals have told Info-Prim Neo that they will go to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which monitors the execution of the ECHR judgments, so that they receive the money and the buildings of the schools. Eleonora Cherkavski, director of “Stefan cel Mare” Lyceum that is based in Grigoriopol, said that the principals of the schools will meet with the lawyers to agree how to act further. “The Russian Federation must pay this sum because the children who suffered the consequences of their acts in that period signed the petition. It is they that must receive this money,” she stated, adding that not only the sum counts for them as they also want to get back the buildings that were sequestered illegally and normal work conditions for these institutions. Principal of the Dubasari Lyceum “Mihai Eminescu” Ion Popusoi said that they knew from the very beginning that the fight will not be over when the ECHR passed its conviction decision as this is a specific case. He stressed they will make everything possible for Russia to fulfill its obligations, even if time and patience are needed. The head of “Lucian Blaga” Lyceum Ion Iovcev said that the students, parents and teachers are indignant that Russia does not fulfill its obligations in accordance with the ECHR decision, but the fight goes on. Moldova’s governmental agent to the ECHR Lilian Apostol has told Info-Prim Neo that Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe meets four times a year to discuss the execution of the ECHR judgments. The first meeting this year will take place at the start of March. “The plaintiffs should be more active in their cooperation with the Committee. We can only familiarize ourselves with the information that they will present,” he stated, adding that there are no classical penalties for the non-implementation of the ECHR decisions, but the Committee can have a diplomatic reaction at international level to point to certain drawbacks. According to him, in the case of Ilascu Russia paid the damages awarded by the ECHR. On October 19 last year, the Grand Chamber of the ECHR convicted Russia in the case of the schools teaching based on the Latin Script in Transnistria. The judgment was passed eight years after the application was filed. The Court held that Russia violated the right to education and that Moldova is not to blame for such a violation. Russia was obliged to pay within three months by €6,000 damages to each of the 170 plaintiffs, and €50,000 court costs.