Georgia has lodged an interstate application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the Russian Federation, the Justice Ministry reported on March 26.
 
The case concerns reported violation of rights of ethnic Georgians, who have been deported from Russia since October, 2006.
 
Georgia claims that the Russian authorities have violated a number of provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, including the prohibition of collective expulsion, the denial of the right to life, and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity.

Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Kaminin told Interfax news agency on March 26 that Georgia’s lawsuit against Russia would not promote “the normalization of relations between the two countries.”

The ECHR has yet to decide about the admissibility of the application lodged by the Georgian Justice Ministry.