Margarita Gracheva, who was abducted by her husband and had both hands cut off in 2007 after police dismissed her complaints about his aggressive behavior, will receive more than 370,000 euros ($420,000) in compensation.
“In particular, the Court found that the Russian authorities had failed to establish an effective legal framework to combat domestic violence,” the European Court of Human Rights said in a statement.
The court said it recommended “urgent changes to domestic laws and practices to prevent similar violations from occurring.”
The Russian Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2017, President Vladimir Putin signed a law easing punishment for domestic violence, citing the need to reduce state interference in family life, but human rights activists call it is a step backwards.
In Russia, domestic violence is a particularly serious problem because patterns of masculinity are ingrained and rights groups argue that laws protecting women are inadequate.
.
