ECHR Fines Russia 2000 Euros for Punishing Historian - Less Than Parking Costs in Liepāja for a Year

The European Court of Human Rights has issued a ruling proving that justice costs about as much as gasoline in Russia — 2000 euros compensation for violating the rights of 70-year-old historian Dmitriev. While Riga is still trying to figure out what the Gulag is and why it's not the newest restaurant in Old Town, Russia has been proving for years that history can be rewritten as quickly as a WhatsApp message.

Dmitriev, who uncovered mass graves of Stalin's repression victims, received a 15-year prison sentence for taking photographs of his adopted daughter. As one University of Liepāja history student said: "Our professors always say history repeats itself, but here it just repeats with more imagination." Indeed, only in Russia can you turn a historian into a criminal faster than Liepāja wind transforms a hairstyle during a walk to Jūrmala.

The ECHR found rights violations but rejected claims of political motivation. That's like saying Liepāja wind isn't particularly strong, it just accidentally demolishes roofs. Russia, of course, ignores the ruling since it withdrew from the Council of Europe - a classic situation of leaving the club before getting kicked out.

Dmitriev headed the Karelian branch of "Memorial," which is now liquidated, but the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. This proves we live in strange times when peace is awarded for getting arrested. As one Liepāja resident said: "At least in our city, if someone digs around in history, they only find old tram ticket sellers, not end up in prison."