BAILII is celebrating 24 years of free online access to the law! Would you consider making a contribution?

No donation is too small. If every visitor before 31 December gives just £5, it will have a significant impact on BAILII's ability to continue providing free access to the law.
Thank you very much for your support!



BAILII [Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Multidatabase Search] [Help] [Feedback]

European Court of Human Rights


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> PCHELIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 6274/13 (Judgment : Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : Third Section Committee) [2023] ECHR 315 (06 April 2023)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2023/315.html
Cite as: [2023] ECHR 315, CE:ECHR:2023:0406JUD000627413, ECLI:CE:ECHR:2023:0406JUD000627413

[New search] [Contents list] [Help]


 

 

THIRD SECTION

CASE OF PCHELIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

(Applications nos. 6274/13 and 23 others –

see appended list)

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

6 April 2023

 

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


In the case of Pchelin and Others v. Russia,


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

          Peeter Roosma, President,
          Ioannis Ktistakis,
          Andreas Zünd, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,


Having deliberated in private on 16 March 2023,


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 and/or participants of public assemblies. Some applicants also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.

THE LAW

I.        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.

II.     ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE CONVENTION


6.  The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers and/or participants of public assemblies, namely the dispersal of these assemblies, as well as the applicants’ arrest followed by their conviction for administrative offence. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 11 of the Convention.


7.  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).


8.  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.


9.  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”.


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

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


11.  Some applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention, 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. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that they also disclose violations of the Convention in the light of its well‑established case-law (see Tsvetkova and Others v. Russia, nos. 54381/08 and 5 others, §§ 84-138, 10 April 2018, as regards unlawful administrative arrest, and Karelin v. Russia, no. 926/08, 20 September 2016, concerning examination of criminal cases in the absence of a prosecuting party in the judicial proceedings governed by the Federal Code of Administrative Offences(CAO)).

IV.  REMAINING COMPLAINTS


12.  In view of its findings above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with the remaining complaints under Article 6 of the Convention raised by some of the applicants in relation to other aspects of the fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings.

V.     APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION


13.  Article 41 of the Convention provides:

“If the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.”


14.  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 and dismisses the remainder of the applicants’ claims for just satisfaction.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,

1.      Decides to join the applications;

2.      Declares the complaints concerning the right to peaceful assembly and the other complaints under the well-established case-law of the Court, as set out in the appended table, admissible, and decides that it is not necessary to examine separately the remaining complaints under Article 6 of the Convention concerning other aspects of the fairness of the proceedings;

3.      Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention concerning the right to peaceful assembly,

4.      Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention as regards the other complaints raised under the well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table);

5.      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;

6.      Dismisses the reminder of the applicants’ claims for just satisfaction.

Done in English, and notified in writing on 6 April 2023, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

      Viktoriya Maradudina                                              Peeter Roosma
    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 charges

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]

 

6274/13

06/12/2012

Dmitriy Fedorovich PCHELIN

1984

 

 

Protest against a violation of freedom of peaceful assembly

 

Moscow,

Red Square

 

01/04/2012

Article 20.2 § 2 of CAO

fine of RUB 500

Tverskoy District Court of Moscow

13/06/2012

 

3,500

 

69940/17

07/09/2017

Yevgeniy Viktorovich TRISHIN

1988

Terekhov Konstantin Ilyich

Moscow

Anti-corruption manifestation

 

St Petersburg

 

12/06/2017

Article 19.3 § 1 of CAO, Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 1,000 and RUB 10,000, respectively

St Petersburg City Court

18/07/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and detention on 12/06/2017 in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; issue raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: St Petersburg City Court on 18/07/2017

 

4,000

 

79158/17

02/11/2017

Ivan Borisovich KURIN

1986

Gaynutdinov Damir Ravilevich

Sofia, Bulgaria

Anti-corruption rally

 

Labour Square, Yekaterinburg

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Sverdlovsk Regional Court

04/05/2017

 

3,500

 

79161/17

02/11/2017

Leonid Valeryevich MELCHAKOV

1983

Gaynutdinov Damir Ravilevich

Sofia, Bulgaria

Anti-corruption rally

 

Labour Square, Yekaterinburg

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Sverdlovsk Regional Court

03/05/2017

 

3,500

 

79367/17

02/11/2017

Leonid Leonidovich VINOKUROV

1986

Gaynutdinov Damir Ravilevich

Sofia, Bulgaria

Anti-corruption rally

 

Labour Square, Yekaterinburg

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Sverdlovsk Regional Court

03/05/2017

 

3,500

 

79945/17

15/11/2017

Dmitriy Pavlovich POROKH

1995

Gaynutdinov Damir Ravilevich

Sofia, Bulgaria

Anti-corruption rally

 

Labour square, Yekaterinburg

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Sverdlovsk Regional Court

16/05/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of

liberty, including unrecorded

detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - The applicant was detained for almost 3 hours on 26/03/2017 in a police bus at the place of the events without a valid reason; raised on appeal

 

4,000

 

80631/17

17/11/2017

Anatoliy Viktorovich GONENKO

1984

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

26/05/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 26/05/2017

 

3,500

 

80632/17

17/11/2017

Oksana Aleksandrovna PROSNIKOVA

1985

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

17/05/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - The applicant was escorted to a police station on 26/03/2017, where the administrative offence report was drawn up. The applicant’s detention exceeded 3-hour statutory time limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 17/05/2017

 

4,000

 

80633/17

17/11/2017

Olga Nikolayevna BUSHKOVA

1986

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 2 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

16/06/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - the applicant escorted to a police station to draw an administrative offence report; arrest exceeding 3-hour statutory time limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 16/06/2017

4,000

 

81111/17

20/11/2017

Yuliya Alekseyevna SUBOCHEVA

1986

Zboroshenko Nikolay Sergeyevich

Mytishchi

Public assembly in favour of social benefits for Moscow residents

 

Moscow

 

01/07/2016

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

24/05/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 24/05/2017

 

3,500

 

83338/17

05/12/2017

Yuriy Aleksandrovich LEVANOV

1981

Terekhov Konstantin Ilyich

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

06/06/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrested on 26/03/2017 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; arrest exceeding 3-hour statutory time-limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 06/06/2017

 

4,000

 

83929/17

08/12/2017

Andrey Aleksandrovich BELYAVSKIY

1982

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

14/06/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 14/06/2017

 

 

3,500

 

83934/17

08/12/2017

Valeriy Sergeyevich NAZARKIN

1983

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

08/06/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - the applicant was arrested on 26/03/2017 and escorted to a police station for compiling an administrative offence record; arrest exceeding 3-hour statutory time- limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 08/06/2017

 

4,000

 

83937/17

08/12/2017

Sergey Gennadyevich RIDINGER

1986

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

24/07/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - the applicant was arrested on 26/03/2017 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record; the applicant’s detention exceeded the statutory time- limit of 3 hours; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 24/07/2017

 

4,000

 

83947/17

08/12/2017

Aleksey Mikhaylovich SINITSYN

1996

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 5,000

Moscow City Court

18/07/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - the applicant was escorted to a police station for drawing up an administrative offence record; the arrest exceeded 3-hour statutory time- limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 18/07/2017

 

4,000

 

84510/17

15/12/2017

Vladimir Ivanovich SOFILKANICH

1968

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Anti-corruption rally

 

Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

16/06/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - the applicant was arrested on 26/03/2017 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, without any assessment/explanation as to why it was impossible to draw the record on the spot; unlawful administrative arrest exceeding 3 hours: apprehended by the police at 2.50 p.m. on 26/03/2017, released from the police station at 8 p.m.; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 16/06/2017

 

4,000

 

84520/17

18/12/2017

Yekaterina Valeryevna TAGUNOVA

1991

Mehtiyeva Kamalia

Paris

Rally for rotation of high-ranking Russian officials

 

Aleksandrovskiy Park, St Petersburg

 

29/04/2017

Article 19.3 § 1 of CAO

and

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 500

and

fine of RUB 100

St Petersburg City Court

20/06/2017

 

 

 

3,500

 

2160/18

11/12/2017

Kseniya Mikhaylovna KORCHILOVA

1996

Markin Konstantin Aleksandrovich

Velikiy Novgorod

Anti-corruption demonstration

 

St Petersburg,

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

St Petersburg City Court

06/07/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: St Petersburg City Court on 06/07/2017

 

3,500

 

2845/18

26/12/2017

Stanislav Valeryevich ANDREYCHUK

1985

Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Anti-terrorism manifestation

 

Barnaul

 

08/04/2017

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Altay Regional Court

12/09/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Altay Regional Court on 12/09/2017

 

3,500

 

3844/18

13/12/2017

Mariya Sergeyevna SECHINA

1991

Ratnikova Svetlana Sergeyevna

St Petersburg

Anti-corruption demonstration

 

St Petersburg

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

St Petersburg City Court

06/07/2017

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: St Petersburg City Court on 06/07/2017

3,500

 

4818/18

08/12/2017

Ruslan Igorevich OSTROVSKIY

1989

Preobrazhenskaya Oksana Vladimirovna

Strasbourg

Anti-corruption rally

 

Tverskaya square, Moscow

 

26/03/2017

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

08/12/2017

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrested on 26/03/2017, at 3.30 p.m., taken to a police station to draw up a record of administrative offence; released on the same day after 10 p.m., detention beyond the 3-hour statutory time-limit; raised on appeal,

 

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Moscow City Court on 08/12/2017

 

4,000

 

59656/18

06/12/2018

Igor Aleksandrovich YAKOVLEV

1986

Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Opposition manifestation

 

Republic Square, Cheboksary

 

05/05/2018

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic

07/06/2018

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Final decision: Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic on 07/06/2018

 

3,500

 

59662/18

08/12/2018

Pavel Vladimirovich NIKITIN

1991

Terekhov Konstantin Ilyich

Moscow

Opposition manifestation

 

Vladimir

 

05/05/2018

 

 

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

and

Article 19.3 § 1 of CAO

fine of RUB 5,000

and

1 day of administrative arrest

Vladimir Regional Court

06/09/2018

and

Vladimir Regional Court

09/06/2018

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. Final decisions: Vladimir Regional Court on 06/09/2018 and 09/06/2018

 

3,500

 

1025/19

14/12/2018

Nikolay Aleksandrovich SKVORTSOV

1990

Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich

Novocheboksarsk

Opposition manifestation

 

Cheboksary

 

05/05/2018

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic

17/07/2018

Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic on 17/07/2018

 

3,500

 

 



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


BAILII: Copyright Policy | Disclaimers | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Donate to BAILII
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2023/315.html