ORESHNIKOVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 13744/19 (Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : Fifth Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 447 (16 May 2024)


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European Court of Human Rights


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> ORESHNIKOVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 13744/19 (Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : Fifth Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 447 (16 May 2024)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2024/447.html
Cite as: [2024] ECHR 447

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FIFTH SECTION

CASE OF ORESHNIKOVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

(Applications nos. 13744/19 and 19 others -

see appended list)

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUDGMENT

 

STRASBOURG

16 May 2024

 

This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.


In the case of Oreshnikova and Others v. Russia,

The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:

 María Elósegui, President,
 Mattias Guyomar,
 Kateřina Šimáčková, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 18 April 2024,

Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:

PROCEDURE


1.  The case originated in applications against Russia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ("the Convention") on the various dates indicated in the appended table.


2.  The Russian Government ("the Government") were given notice of the applications.

THE FACTS


3.  The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.


4.  The applicants complained of the disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.

THE LAW

  1. JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS


5.  Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.

  1. JURISDICTION


6.  The Court observes that the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of the Convention occurred prior to 16 September 2022, the date on which the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the Convention. The Court therefore decides that it has jurisdiction to examine the present applications (see Fedotova and Others v. Russia [GC], nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68-73, 17 January 2023).

  1. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE CONVENTION


7.  The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies, namely their arrest in relation to the dispersal of these assemblies and their conviction for administrative offences. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 11 of the Convention.


8.  The Court refers to the principles established in its case-law regarding freedom of assembly (see Kudrevičius and Others v. Lithuania [GC], no. 37553/05, ECHR 2015, with further references) and proportionality of interference with it (see Oya Ataman v. Turkey, no. 74552/01, ECHR 2006-XIV, and Hyde Park and Others v. Moldova, no. 33482/06, 31 March 2009).


9.  In the leading cases of Frumkin v. Russia, no. 74568/12, ECHR 2016 (extracts), Navalnyy and Yashin v. Russia, no. 76204/11, 4 December 2014, and Kasparov and Others v. Russia, no. 21613/07, 3 October 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.

10.  Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion as to the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the interferences with the applicants' freedom of assembly were not "necessary in a democratic society".

11.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention.

  1. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW


12.  Almost all applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention and its Protocols, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible.

13.  Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that these complaints also disclose violations of the Convention and its Protocols in the light of its findings in Butkevich v. Russia, no. 5865/07, §§ 63-65, 13 February 2018, Tsvetkova and Others v. Russia, nos. 54381/08 and 5 others, §§ 115-31, 10 April 2018, and Korneyeva v. Russia, no. 72051/17, §§ 34-36, 8 October 2019, as to various aspects of unlawful deprivation of liberty of organisers or participants of public assemblies; Karelin v. Russia, no. 926/08, §§ 58-85, 20 September 2016, concerning the absence of a prosecuting party in the proceedings under the Code of Administrative Offences (the CAO); and Martynyuk v. Russia, no. 13764/15, §§ 38-42, 8 October 2019, relating to the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal against the sentence of administrative detention.

  1. REMAINING COMPLAINTS


14.  Some applicants raised further additional complaints under Article 6 of the Convention concerning other aspects of fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings. In view of the findings in paragraphs 10-11 and 13 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.

  1. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION


15.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case-law (see in particular Navalnyy and Others v. Russia [Committee], nos. 25809/17 and 14 others, § 22, 4 October 2022), the Court finds it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,

  1. Decides to join the applications;
  2. Holds that it has jurisdiction to deal with these applications as they relate to facts that took place before 16 September 2022;
  3. Declares the complaints under Article 11 of the Convention and the other complaints under the well-established case-law of the Court, as set out in the appended table, admissible, and finds that there is no need to examine separately the remaining complaints under Article 6 of the Convention;
  4. Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention;
  5. Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention and the Protocols thereto as regards the other complaints raised under the well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table);
  6. Holds

(a)  that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;

(b)  that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.

Done in English, and notified in writing on 16 May 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

 Viktoriya Maradudina María Elósegui
 Acting Deputy Registrar President

 

 


APPENDIX

List of applications raising complaints under Article 11 of the Convention

(disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies)

No.

Application no.

Date of introduction

Applicant's name

Year of birth

 

Representative's name and location

Name of the public event

Location

Date

Administrative / criminal offence

Penalty

Final domestic decision

Court Name

Date

Other complaints under

well-established case-law

Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant

(in euros)[1]

  1.    

13744/19

17/02/2019

 

 

and

 

 

 

 

6208/22

13/01/2022

Oksana Petrovna ORESHNIKOVA

1996

Vasin Vladimir Valeryevich

Krasnoyarsk

Opposition manifestation

 

Krasnoyarsk

 

05/05/2018

 

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Krasnoyarsk

 

21/04/2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fine of

 RUB 15,000

Krasnoyarsk Regional Court

18/10/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krasnoyarsk Regional Court

15/07/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - a) arrest and detention on 05/05/2018 for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours;

b) escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 10.40 p.m. on 21/04/2021 to 2.00 a.m. on 22/04/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in both sets of the administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

 

 

  1.    

31909/19

28/05/2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

and

 

 

 

13223/22

18/02/2022

Igor Nikolayevich ADYASOV

1970

Karavayev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Novgorod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usanova Olimpiada Valentinovna

Nizhniy Novgorod

 

Manifestation against the pension reform

 

Nizhny Novgorod

 

09/09/2018

 

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Nizhniy Novgorod

 

31/01/2021

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

 

70 hours of community work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fine of

RUB 10,000

 

Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court

29/11/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court

18/08/2021

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in both sets of the administrative-offence proceedings;

 

 

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 1.20 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 01/02/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case; the applicant spent 3h40 in the police van

4,000

 

  1.    

45970/21

24/08/2021

Vladislav Sergeyevich POLISHCHUK

2002

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

30/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 31/01/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.    

45975/21

24/08/2021

Yefim Dmitriyevich STULOV

2001

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

30/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 31/01/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.    

45979/21

24/08/2021

Natalya Alekseyevna SHEVCHENKO

1996

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of

8 days

Moscow City Court

08/04/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 02/02/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

5,000

  1.    

45984/21

24/08/2021

Konstantin Valeryevich PLATOV

1975

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of

12 days

Moscow City Court

26/04/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 31/01/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

5,000

  1.    

46159/21

26/08/2021

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich NIZOVTSEV

1989

Shchukin Andrey Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Tagil

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Yekaterinburg

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 20,000

Sverdlovsk Regional Court

04/08/2021

 

3,500

  1.    

46170/21

04/09/2021

Oleg Viktorovich PSHENICHNYY

1964

Savelyeva Alena Alekseyevna

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of

10 days

Moscow City Court

04/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 1.30 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 2.00 p.m. on 01/02/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case; the applicant spent 3 hours in the police van,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,

 

Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO

5,000

  1.    

46179/21

26/08/2021

Maksim Stanislavovich LYSIKOV

1989

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

30/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 23/01/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

46185/21

26/08/2021

Vladislav Mikhaylovich VARGA

1994

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

30/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 02/02/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

59547/21

19/11/2021

Yegor Aleksandrovich VNUKOV

2000

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Krasnoyarsk

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 10,000

Krasnoyarsk Regional Court

20/05/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 1.20 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021, while the said record was drawn up only on 12/02/2021; the applicant spent 2 hours in the police van,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

389/22

03/12/2021

Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ROGOZHKIN

2000

Kartashov Konstantin Borisovich

Penza

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Penza

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

30 hours of community work

Penza Regional Court

03/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 9.50 a.m. to 8.40 p.m. on 21/04/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

506/22

09/12/2021

Dmitriy Igorevich ZHUROV

1991

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Magadan

 

21/04/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

40 hours of community work

Magadan Regional Court

11/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 7.30 p.m. on 21/04/2021 to 8.00 p.m. on 22/04/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

3043/22

21/12/2021

Dmitriy Alekseyevich ZAIGRALOV

1997

Pershakova Yelena Yuryevna

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of

RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

21/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 11.50 p.m. on 02/02/2021 to 8.00 p.m. on 03/02/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

3158/22

16/12/2021

Daniil Yevgenyevich SHURYGIN

1999

Koshcheyev Konstantin Yuryevich

Petrozavodsk

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Petrozavodsk

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 5,000

Supreme Court of the Karelia Republic

17/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence on 23/01/2021,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

3345/22

14/12/2021

Aleksandr Igorevich BAZHUKOV

1994

Shimovolos Sergey Mikhaylovich

Nizhniy Novgorod

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Nizhniy Novgorod

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 10,000

Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court

24/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours and without "exceptional circumstances", from 1.40 p.m. to 11.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021; the applicant spent more than 4 hours in the police van,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings

4,000

  1.  

3361/22

17/12/2021

Roman Agitovich USOYAN

1999

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

St Petersburg

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of

RUB 20,000

St Petersburg City Court, 11/05/2021, the applicant was absent and not represented on appeal, he received a copy of the decision on

17/06/2021

 

3,500

  1.  

9260/22

20/12/2021

Aleksey Sergeyevich KOROLEV

1982

Moiseyenko Vladimir Anatolyevich

Kaliningrad

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Kaliningrad

 

21/04/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

 RUB 10,000

Kaliningrad Regional Court

21/09/2021

 

3,500

 

 


[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.


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