The sided with a former first deputy prime minister from the era in his case against

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of Serhiy Arbuzov, Ukraine’s former First Deputy Prime Minister under Viktor Yanukovych, in his case against Ukraine.

This follows from the ECHR’s judgment.

Arbuzov complained that Ukrainian courts handled unfairly his defamation lawsuit against the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

In 2014, the SBU published a press release about the events in Odesa on May 2, claiming that the unrest had been “financed by former high-ranking officials,” including Arbuzov.

Arbuzov filed a claim to protect his honor and dignity, arguing that the information was false and harmed his reputation. He submitted an expert report confirming that the publication had indeed appeared on the SBU’s website.

However, Ukrainian courts ultimately rejected his claim, stating that there was insufficient proof of publication because the material had already been removed from the site, and the SBU asserted that it did not keep archives of its publications.

The European Court of Human Rights noted that the expert report could have been decisive, but the Ukrainian courts did not properly assess it. The ECHR said the courts “failed to comply with their duty to address and comment on arguments that were decisive for the outcome of the case.”

The ECHR also pointed out that in a parallel case involving another official, it had already been established that the SBU had in fact published the same press release, but the Ukrainian courts refused to take that ruling into account.

As a result, the ECHR found a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to a fair trial). The Court held that the finding of a violation in itself was sufficient and did not award monetary compensation to Arbuzov, who had sought €100,000 in non-pecuniary damages.

Earlier, in April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed National Security and Defense Council sanctions on Arbuzov.