ECtHR recognizes violations of rights of participants in street protests in Sochi and Taganrog

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) awarded compensation to five residents of Sochi and a resident of Taganrog, recognizing their detentions at rallies in support of Alexei Navalny* as illegal.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in January 2021, protest actions were held by supporters of Alexei Navalny* in Russian cities, including in the south of the country. Dozens of people were detained in Sochi. Some of them claimed they were just passing by. A number of protesters, including Alexei Chelmakin, were sentenced to arrest, and others were fined.

The ECtHR found illegal the detentions of Sochi residents Alexei Chelmakin, Maxim Spichak, Anna Pridachina, Karen Lobyan, and Alexei Michurin at a rally against the arrest of Alexei Navalny” on January 23, 2021, as well as the detention of Ekaterina Babutskaya from Taganrog at a similar rally on January 31 2021, the “Kavkaz.Realii”** reports. Furthermore, according to the court, the complainants’ right to an impartial trial was violated in Russia.

Alexei Chelmakin was arrested till the consideration of the appeal, which the ECtHR also recognized as a violation of his rights. The ECtHR awarded Alexei Chelmakin compensation in the amount of 5000 euros, and Maxim Spichak, Anna Pridachina, Karen Lobyan, Alexei Michurin, and Ekaterina Babutskaya were awarded 4000 euros each.

*On January 25, the “Rosfinmonitoring” (the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring) included Alexei Navalny into the register of extremists and terrorists. He is a founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (known as FBK), an NCO that is included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of NCOs performing functions of a foreign agent. Convicted on probation in a case on fraud, in February 2021, the term was replaced with imprisonment. In a penal colony, Alexei Navalny was charged with fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment. Furthermore, Alexei Navalny is also accused of disorganizing the penal colony, extremism, and rehabilitation of Nazism. In April, Alexei Navalny announced that he faced life imprisonment in the case on terrorism. Recognized as a “prisoner of conscience.” The “Caucasian Knot” material “Navalny: Caucasian Dimension” sets out the oppositionist’s views on problems related to the Caucasus.

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.