The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) awarded 20,000 euros in moral damages and 13,553 euros in pecuniary damages to a 12-year-old Russian girl who was called in for questioning 23 times after being sexually assaulted. The decision was published on the website of the court.
The court ruled that investigators in Russia violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.”
Girl V. lived with her mother in the apartment of their relative, according to the Justice Initiative project. After the death of her mother, her father refused to take the girl, and she was sent to an orphanage. There, V. told a psychologist that she had experienced sexual abuse by an adult male. The girl was taken to a gynecologist, he found no injuries, and the child was advised to "forget everything."
While working with a psychologist, the girl said that at different times, at the age of 6 to 11 years, four adult men who came to visit and stayed overnight committed violence against her in a relative's apartment. “One of the men told V. that he would kill her mother if the girl told anyone about the violence,” writes Justice Initiative.
After that, four criminal cases were initiated on violent acts of a sexual nature against a person under the age of 14 (clause “b” part 4 of article 132 of the Criminal Code). Investigators, lawyers, experts and judges forced the girl to talk about the violence she experienced 23 times. Among those who interrogated her, there was only one woman.
In 2020, V. was diagnosed with “prolonged depressive reaction” and further participation in investigative and judicial actions, which have been going on for more than 1.5 years, is not recommended. However, the girl was interrogated 5 more times by investigators and judges.