MALETIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 1027/19 (Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : Second Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 525 (13 June 2024)

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Cite as: [2024] ECHR 525

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SECOND SECTION

CASE OF MALETIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

(Applications nos. 1027/19 and 25 others -

see appended list)

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUDGMENT
 

STRASBOURG

13 June 2024

 

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


In the case of Maletin and Others v. Russia,

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

 Lorraine Schembri Orland, President,
 Frédéric Krenc,
 Davor Derenčinović, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 23 May 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. Some applicants 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.  Some 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 Korneyeva, cited above, §§ 62-65 as to the right of the organisers or participants of public assemblies not to be tried and punished twice for the same offence.

  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 paragraph 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 13 June 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

 

 Viktoriya Maradudina Lorraine Schembri Orland
 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.    

1027/19

14/12/2018

Ivan

Yuryevich MALETIN

2001

Glukhov

Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Opposition rally/gathering

 

Cheboksary

 

05/05/2018

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

and

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of

RUB 10,000

and

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Chuvash Republic

06/09/2018 (two separate decisions)

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,

 

Prot. 7 Art. 4 - right not to be tried or punished twice in criminal proceedings - the applicant was convicted in two separate sets of administrative proceedings (Art. 20.2 § 5 of CAO) for participation in a rally which was qualified by the domestic authorities as two separate events (a rally and a gathering).

 

3,500

  1.    

1032/19

14/12/2018

Aleksandr Sergeyevich MIKHANKOV

1997

Glukhov

Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Opposition rally/gathering

 

Cheboksary

 

05/05/2018

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

 

 

article 19.3 § 1 of CAO

20 hours of community work

and

20 hours of community work

and

fine of RUB 1,000

Supreme Court of the Chuvash Republic

05/07/2018 (three separate decisions)

 

 

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

 

Prot. 7 Art. 4 - right not to be tried or punished twice in criminal proceedings - the applicant was convicted in two separate sets of administrative proceedings (Art. 20.2 § 5 of CAO) for participation in a rally which was qualified by the domestic authorities as two separate events (a rally and a gathering). He was also convicted in the third set of administrative proceeding (Art.19.3 §1 of CAO) for the facts which constituted the basis of the first two convictions.

4,000

  1.    

45059/21

09/08/2021

Lev

Vsevolodovich LUKHOVITSKIY

1984

Karavayev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Novgorod

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

detention for 10 days

Moscow City Court

10/02/2021

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.    

45062/21

09/08/2021

Pavel

Grigoryevich DOLGOV

1993

Karavayev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Novgorod

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

detention for 10 days

Moscow City Court

10/02/2021

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.    

45064/21

09/08/2021

Ilya

Mikhaylovich GOLOVLEV

1998

Karavayev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Novgorod

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

 

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

detention for 10 days

Moscow City Court

10/02/2021

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.    

45067/21

09/08/2021

Grigoriy Denisovich MIKHAYLOV

2001

Karavayev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Nizhniy Novgorod

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

detention for 10 days

Moscow City Court

10/02/2021

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.    

47070/21

12/09/2021

Yevgeniy Viktorovich STUPIN

1983

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

27/05/2021

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

3,500

  1.    

47523/21

05/09/2021

Petr

Sersheyevich GRIGORYEV

1977

Bubon

Konstantin Vladimirovich

Khabarovsk

Rally to support Furgal and Navalny

 

Khabarovsk

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Khabarovsk Regional Court

05/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 1.30 p.m. until 3.15 p.m. on 31/01/2021.

4,000

  1.    

47817/21

10/09/2021

Ilya

Genrikhovich SHKVARIN

1979

Chernova Nataliya Nikolayevna

Petrozavodsk

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Petrozavodsk

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 2 of CAO

detention for 2 days

Supreme Court of the Republic of Karelia

10/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 1.40 p.m. on 23/01/2021 until the hearing in the first-instance court on 24/01/2021,

 

 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.  

48222/21

19/08/2021

Gleb Vladimirovich ZVONOVSKIY

2002

Krasikov Vladimir Vladimirovich

Samara

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Samara

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Samara Regional Court

13/05/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 31/01/2021 for compiling an offence report,

 

 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.  

49373/21

16/09/2021

Agata Aleksandrovna MARAMBEY

1987

Lepekhin

Andrey Gennadyevich

Chelyabinsk

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Chelyabinsk

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Chelyabinsk Regional Court

18/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station for compiling an offence report 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.  

50514/21

27/09/2021

Ilya

Vladimirovich KRYUCHKOV

2002

Gilmanov

Mansur

Idrisovich

Podolsk

Opposition rally

 

Moscow

 

04/11/2020

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

20/04/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 2.25 p.m. until 9.00 p.m. on 04/11/2020,

 

 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.  

51061/21

30/09/2021

Lidiya

Borisovna OLSHANSKAYA

1936

Gak

Irina Vladimirovna

Rostov-on-Don

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Rostov-on-Don

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 11,000

Rostov Regional Court

01/04/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 12.30 p.m. until 9.00 p.m. 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.  

53901/21

18/10/2021

Zhirayr Karoyevich KAROYAN

1991

Gilmanov

Mansur

Idrisovich

Podolsk

Opposition rally

 

Moscow

 

22/06/2020

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

29/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 6.00 p.m. until 10.10 p.m. on 22/06/2020,

 

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.  

54242/21

20/10/2021

Mikael

Valeryevich VARDANYAN

1995

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

St Petersburg

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

St Petersburg City Court

20/04/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 7.30 p.m. on 23/01/2021 until 2.00 p.m. on 24/01/2021,

 

 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.  

55561/21

15/11/2021

Aleksandra Aleksandrovna SMIRNOVA

1998

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

17/05/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 11.50 p.m. on 02/02/2021 until 6.59 a.m. on 03/02/2021,

 

 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.  

57852/21

03/11/2021

Aleksandr Valeryevich POYARKOV

1963

Gilmanov

Mansur

Idrisovich

Podolsk

Opposition rally

 

Moscow

 

22/06/2020

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

29/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 6.10 p.m. until 10.30 p.m. on 22/06/2020,

 

 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.  

58960/21

12/11/2021

Ilya

Antonovich STARIKOV

1994

Glukhov

Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Samara

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Samara Regional Court

20/05/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 3.50 p.m. until 8.00 p.m. 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.  

59092/21

21/10/2021

Murat

Rubinovich MUKASHEV

2002

Gilmanov

Mansur

Idrisovich

Podolsk

Opposition rally

 

Moscow

 

22/06/2020

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

29/07/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 6.20 p.m. on 22/06/2020 until 2.00 a.m. on 23/06/2020;

 

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.  

59268/21

12/11/2021

Timofey

Igorevich OREKHOV

1991

Gilmanov

Mansur

Idrisovich

Podolsk

Opposition rally

 

Moscow

 

22/06/2020

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

29/06/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - Escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 6.00 p.m. on 22/06/2020 until 12.30 a.m. on 23/06/2020;

 

 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.  

57/22

03/12/2021

Sergey Aleksandrovich YEREMIN

2000

Krasikov Vladimir Vladimirovich

Samara

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Samara

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Samara Regional Court

16/09/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 3.30 p.m. until 4.26 p.m. 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.  

3982/22

03/01/2022

Darya

Anatolyevna ARSENEVA

1989

Antokhin Yevgeniy Vyacheslavovich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

13/08/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 31/01/2021 for compiling an offence report,

 

 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.  

35287/22

02/07/2022

Valeriya Andreyevna ALEKSEYEVA

2000

Zyryanova

Mariya Sergeyevna

St Petersburg

Protest against war in Ukraine

 

St Petersburg

 

24/02/2022

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

detention for 10 days

St Petersburg City Court

03/03/2022

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 7.00 p.m. on 24/02/2022 until 26/02/2022.

5,000

  1.  

37335/22

16/07/2022

Andrey Aleksandrovich DUZHIK

2000

Markin Konstantin Aleksandrovich

Velikiy Novgorod

Protest against war in Ukraine

 

Novgorod

 

06/03/2022

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

20 hours of community work

Novgorod Regional Court

04/04/2022

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 2.20 p.m. until 8.30 p.m. on 06/03/2022,

 

 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.  

39969/22

04/08/2022

Yekaterina Stanislavovna VASILYEVA

1976

Podolskiy

Sergey Viktorovich

St Petersburg

Protest against war in Ukraine

 

St Petersburg

 

26/03/2022

article 20.3.3 § 1 of CAO

fine of RUB 30,000

St Petersburg City Court

26/05/2022

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 2.50 p.m. until 7.30 p.m. on 26/03/2022,

 

 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.  

43086/22

20/08/2022

Yekaterina Andreyevna USOLKINA

1992

Pershakova Yelena

Yuryevna

Moscow

Protest against war in Ukraine

 

Perm

 

24/02/2022

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Perm Regional Court

21/04/2022

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

3,500

 


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


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