The execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights requires genuine dialogue between all those capable of providing effective redress to victims of violations in the Transnistrian region of the Republic Moldova. "We need to be creative and break the vicious circle of legal assumptions which lead to an impasse and do not serve the rights of individuals", said the Council of Europe Director General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Christos Giakoumopoulos, in a conference organised in Chisinau on 19 February 2018 by the Moldovan authorities and the NGO Promo-Lex.
Council of Europe experts took part in this conference which aimed at identifying ways to achieve progress in the enforcement of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In a number of cases, the Court, whose judgments are binding, has found that both the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation exercise jurisdiction over the region; the Republic of Moldova because of its unchallenged claims of sovereignty and the Russian Federation because of its decisive influence over the administration there. Most human rights violations have been found to be imputable to the Russian Federation.
The obligation to execute the judgments of this Court goes beyond the payment of any compensation awarded. It requires measures to restore the rights violated and avoid similar violations in the future. In this respect, the role of fora such as the "5+2" group, who can engage in a meaningful dialogue and devise actions to promote and ensure respect for human rights in the region, was highlighted.
