Journalist Ernest Vardanean Won a Case at the ECHR against Russia, 7 Years after His Conviction in the Transnistrian Region

The ECHR obliged Russia to pay compensation of about 40 thousand Euros to the family of journalist Ernest Vardanean. The European Court found that Vardanean had been illegally deprived of liberty, having been imprisoned for a year on the left bank of the Dniester.

Ernest Vardanean was retained by Transnistrian militia, accused of espionage, and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in 2010. A year later, he was released by order of Igor Smirnov.

“They stole more than a year from my life; they stole my health, and not just mine. My entire family suffered morally and materially. It is important to me that my arrest, detention, and sentencing were declared illegal,” said the journalist for Radio Free Europe.