The Foundation For The Defense Of The Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has requested information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the amount of compensation and the amicable settlement of cases judged by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the period 2022-2024.
In the period between 2022 and 2024, the Romanian state has paid damages amounting to almost 76 million lei. Furthermore, the number of decisions rendered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) finding violations of human rights is on the rise.
In 2022, the Romanian state paid 26,917,784 lei. In 2023, the amount decreased to 13,068,985 lei. In 2024 (January to October), the total amount was 35,408,468 lei, which represents a considerable sum and serves to underscore the gravity of the situation. Additionally, the number of amicable settlement cases has declined significantly. In 2024, only two such decisions were made, with minimal compensation, which suggests that the fundamental issues remain unresolved.
The ECHR found that Romania not only violated the right to a fair trial (Art. 6), but also essential rights such as the right to life, liberty and security of person, the prohibition of torture, and the right to privacy were repeatedly violated.
The number of ECHR judgments in which the Romanian state was condemned was cause for concern. In 2022, 72 out of 81 judgments found a violation of a protected right. This figure rose to 58 out of 74 in 2023, and to 44 out of 50 in the first ten months of 2024.
FACIAS calls on the relevant authorities to respect the fundamental rights of Romanian citizens. As the Romanian state continues to ignore these legal decisions, citizens risk bearing not only the financial burden of these violations but also the cost of a justice system that fails to protect their fundamental rights.