Nothing against the European Court of Human Rights

but $200,000? People have won much more just for spilling scalding coffee on themselves (www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm). In any case, it will be interesting to see if Russia pays up.

Washington Post: The European Court of Human Rights found Russia liable Thurs in the killing of more than 50 civilians in a Chechen village in 2000 and ordered the government to pay $200,000 to 5 relatives of those who died. "In the Court's view, the astonishing ineffectiveness of the prosecuting authorities in this case could only be qualified as acquiescence in the events," said the unanimous decision by the seven-judge panel.

Another decision handed down by the court Thurs. found Russia liable in 2 other deaths stemming from the Chechen conflict and similarly faulted authorities for failing to carry out a thorough investigation.

Russian politicians have criticized the court as anti-Russian and politicized. Yury Sharandin, a leading member of Russia's upper house of parliament, attempted to play down the rulings. "When a court, including the one in Strasbourg, makes a decision in favor of a citizen, it does not mean at all that the decision is made against his state," Sharandin told the Interfax news agency.