The 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia refers to the deaths, unlawful arrests, expulsions and overall mistreatment of several thousand ethnic Georgians by the Russian government during the 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy.[1] The official Russian position was that Georgians in question violated the Russian immigration law and that their expulsion and treatment in custody was just standard law enforcement.[1] The Georgian government countered that Russia's concerted actions against ethnic Georgians, including properly documented individuals, was an act of political retribution for the arrest of Russian spies and was tantamount to "mild form of ethnic cleansing".[2] Georgian claims were supported by the Human Rights Watch, which documented "the Russian government's arbitrary and illegal detention and expulsion of Georgians, including many who legally lived and worked in Russia..."[3] Georgia subsequently sued the Russian Government in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Russian human rights defenders widely criticized the move. Human Rights Center "Memorial" demanded to immediately stop the campaign against people born in Georgia.[4] Radio "Echo of Moscow" started a campaign "I am a Georgian", calling for Russian citizens to wear a badge with such a sign in solidarity.[5]
In 2014, the European Court ruled in Georgia's favor, concluding that Russia's actions in 2006 violated the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling gave the Russian government a period of 12 months so that it could negotiate with Georgia the precise terms of compensation for damages incurred by the Georgian citizens and their families; in 2015 Georgia officially requested in excess of 70 million Euros in damages for the victims.[6][7] In 2019, the European Court awarded Georgia with 10 million Euro damages compensation.[8]
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