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Akbar Novruz

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The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia bears responsibility for the torture, inhuman treatment, and killing of three Georgian prisoners of war during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War, including Giorgi Antsukhelidze, who is widely regarded as a symbol of the conflict, AzerNEWS reports.

The judgment was announced on Tuesday in a case brought before the court by the families of the victims, represented by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association.

According to the ruling, the Georgian servicemen were captured during the hostilities, taken to a building in Tskhinvali, where they were beaten and interrogated in a bunker, and later subjected to further abuse in the city's central square by a crowd composed largely of civilians.

The court found that one of the prisoners, Ushangi Sopromadze, aged 25, was likely executed by South Ossetian and Russian forces after being taken captive.

The ruling also examined the case of Antsukhelidze, who was 23 years old at the time of his capture. According to evidence reviewed by the court, including video footage, he was shown bound, covered in blood, and subjected to physical abuse while in captivity. His remains were identified through DNA testing in December 2008, and his family was informed of his death the following month.

The ECHR concluded that Russia was responsible for multiple violations of the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to the treatment and deaths of the Georgian prisoners. The judgment marks another significant legal ruling related to the consequences of the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia.