European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on July 3 it found Georgia’s complaints against Russia over deportations admissible for hearing.

The Strasbourg-based court said in a statement that it “has declared admissible the application lodged in the case of Georgia v. Russia.”

“The Court’s admissibility decision in no way prejudges the merits of the Georgian Government’s complaints. The Court will deliver its judgment at a later date,” it said.

Tbilisi wants Moscow to reimburse pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages for the alleged violation of the rights of hundreds of ethnic Georgians deported from the Russian Federation.

Over 2,000 ethnic Georgians were deported from Russia in late September 2006 and early 2007 following Russian-Georgian spy row.