Information Note on the Court’s case-law No. 124

November 2009

Gubenko v. Latvia (communicated case) - 6674/06

Article 9

Article 9-1

Freedom of religion

Refusal to permit prisoner to keep religious objects in his cell: communicated

The applicant was a follower of the Hare Krishna movement. While serving a prison sentence, he sought permission from the governor of the prison to keep various items in his cell, namely, an audio cassette player with headphones and cassettes with recordings of religious programmes and services, prayer beads for chanting Maha Mantra, and other attributes for prayers and religious rites. The governor refused his request on the grounds that the domestic law did not include these items in the exhaustive list of objects that convicts were allowed to keep in their cells.

Communicated under Article 9.

© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.

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