[JURIST Europe] The European Court of Human Rights [official website] based in Strasbourg, France, has awarded a landmark compensation payment of 250,000 euros ($300,000) to Alexei Mikheyev, a 29 year old Russian citizen virtually crippled from the waist down as a result of torture by Russian police. The court found Russia in violation of Articles 3 and 13 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms [official text]. Seven years ago Mikheyev was tortured for nine days using electric shock and other methods to produce a confession for the murder of Maria Savalyeyeva, who later turned up alive. His attempts to win justice in Russia have resulted in death threats and in the case being opened and closed 26 times. Two detectives connected to the case have been convicted and sentenced to jail terms. Read the official ECHR court ruling, released Thursday. Russia is obligated to accept the decision under the terms of the Convention. Human rights groups have raised concerns about unrestrained police torture in Russia [HRW report] for years. The Moscow Times has local coverage. The Independent has more.

Tatyana Margolin is an Associate Editor for JURIST Europe, reporting European legal news from a European perspective. She is based in the UK.