KINZHABAYEVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 35579/21 (Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : First Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 321 (11 April 2024)


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European Court of Human Rights


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> KINZHABAYEVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA - 35579/21 (Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association : First Section Committee) [2024] ECHR 321 (11 April 2024)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2024/321.html
Cite as: [2024] ECHR 321

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FIRST SECTION

CASE OF KINZHABAYEVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

(Applications nos. 35579/21 and 19 others -

see appended list)

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUDGMENT
 

STRASBOURG

11 April 2024

 

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


In the case of Kinzhabayeva and Others v. Russia,

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

 Lətif Hüseynov, President,
 Ivana Jelić,
 Erik Wennerström, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 21 March 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.  The 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 11 April 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

 

 Viktoriya Maradudina Lətif Hüseynov
 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.    

35579/21

28/06/2021

Yuliya Nikolayevna KINZHABAYEVA

1997

Bochilo Anna Yevgenyevna

Barnaul

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Chelyabinsk

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Chelyabinsk Regional Court

28/04/2021

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.    

37925/21

16/07/2021

Andrey Gennadyevich SUKHANOV

1984

Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Volgograd

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Volgograd Regional Court

13/05/2021

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 3.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. on 23/01/2021

4,000

  1.    

38631/21

19/07/2021

Ilya Borisovich PAKHOMOV

1993

Gimadi Vyacheslav Ilyich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Moscow

 

17/01/2021

article 19.3 § 1 of CAO

administrative detention of 10 days

Moscow City Court

18/03/2021

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 7.35 p.m. to 10.20 p.m. on 17/01/2021, while a record of administrative offence was drawn on 22/02/2021;

- from 11.30 p.m. on 27/01/2021 to 9.30 a.m. on 28/01/2021,

 

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.    

40544/21

30/07/2021

Angelina Sergeyevna LEVINA

1992

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Tambov

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of 15 days

Tambov Regional Court

05/02/2021

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.    

40585/21

27/07/2021

Marina Petrovna LIMAR

1987

Aksenova Darya Dmitriyevna

Kolomna

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Moscow, Komsomolskaya Square

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

24/03/2021

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.    

40677/21

25/07/2021

Galina Yevgenyevna MANENKOVA

1971

Mikhaylova Varvara Dmitriyevna

St Petersburg

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Smolensk

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Smolensk Regional Court

10/03/2021

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - detained and escorted to a court on 29/01/2021. After the applicant had voluntary come to the police station, she was escorted to the first-instance hearing in her 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.    

40941/21

28/07/2021

Ulyana Dmitriyevna KOLUSENKO

1993

Sotnikov Dmitriy Valeryevich

Moscow

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Moscow

 

02/02/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of 10 days

Moscow City Court

11/02/2021

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.    

41461/21

05/08/2021

Anastasiya Igorevna KRIVENKO

1999

Pomazuyev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Tambov

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of 7 days

Tambov Regional Court

17/02/2021

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 1.50 p.m. on 01/02/2021, 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,

 

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.    

42216/21

09/08/2021

Timur Shakhinovich BABAYEV

1996

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of 10 days

Moscow City Court

09/02/2021

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.  

42291/21

07/08/2021

Elina Aleksandrovna PULUDI

1963

 

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Kazan

 

31/01/2021

 

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic

24/03/2021

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 2.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 01/02/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case; the applicant spent 7 hours in the police van

4,000

  1.  

43002/21

23/08/2021

Yaroslav Igorevich TIKHONOV

1988

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Yaroslavl

 

23/01/2021

 

Rally "Free Navalnyy

 

Yaroslavl

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

 

 

 

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

 

 

 

 

 

fine of RUB 10,000

Yaroslavl Regional Court

14/05/2021

 

 

 

 

Yaroslavl Regional Court

11/05/2021

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 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021

4,000

  1.  

43449/21

23/08/2021

Tatyana Yuryevna SHISHKINA

1966

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

02/04/2021

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 12.30 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 01/02/2021 in the morning,

 

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.  

43462/21

23/08/2021

Dmitriy Segeyevich BATALIN

1995

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Yaroslavl

 

23/01/2021

 

 

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Yaroslavl Regional Court

15/04/2021

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 3.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. on 23/01/2021

 

4,000

  1.  

43771/21

23/08/2021

Roman Ramilevich NAZIROV

1995

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Tula

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Tula Regional Court

02/03/2021

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 2.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. on 23/01/2021, 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.  

43773/21

23/08/2021

Mikhail Aleksandrovich KREYNES

1987

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

16/04/2021

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 3.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 1.00 a.m. on 01/02/2021,

 

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.  

43915/21

23/08/2021

Rasul Ayratovich MULLATAGIROV

1994

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Ufa

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Bashkortostan Republic

05/05/2021

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 12.50 p.m. to 3.50 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.  

48347/21

25/07/2021

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich BYKOV

1990

Aksenova Darya Dmitriyevna

Kolomna

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

administrative detention of 8 days

Moscow City Court

13/05/2021

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. on 31/01/2021 to 01/02/2021, 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

 

5,000

  1.  

49717/21

17/09/2021

Dmitriy Gennadyevich CHESNOKOV

1998

Kosnyrev Vladislav Vladimirovich

Syktyvkar

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Syktyvkar

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 12,000

Supreme Court of the Komi Republic

17/03/2021

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 1.40 p.m. to 7.40 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.  

50261/21

24/09/2021

Viktor Andreyevich SPERANSKIY

1991

Aksenova Darya Dmitriyevna

Kolomna

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Moscow

 

23/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

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 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.  

51223/21

08/10/2021

Aleksandr Vladimirovich VELIKIY

1991

Zhdanov Ivan Yuryevich

Vilnius

Rally "Free Navalnyy"

 

Kazan

 

31/01/2021

article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic

14/04/2021

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 3.00 p.m. on 31/01/2021 to 01/02/2021, hearing in the applicant's administrative-offence case

4,000

 

 


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


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