Russia’s Justice Ministry to decide in 3 months on appealing ECHR ruling in Magnitsky case

The Russian Justice Ministry will decide within three months whether to appeal the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that Moscow should pay €34,000 ($37,700) to the two applicants in the case of Russian tax adviser Sergey Magnitsky.

The ECHR found multiple violations of the European Convention in a case concerning Magnitsky, including the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence, the court said in a statement on Tuesday.

The court acknowledged that the complaint about the arbitrary nature of Magnitsky’s deprivation of liberty was manifestly unfounded, the ministry said. It also noted that the ECHR acknowledged that Magnitsky’s detention “fully complied with the established Convention requirements.” The court also did not demand that the Russian authorities review the decision of a national court on the criminal case against Magnitsky, according to the ministry.

Magnitsky, 37, was detained in Russia on charges of complicity in tax evasion and died on November 16, 2009, having spent 11 months at a pre-trial detention center.