FOURTH SECTION

CASE OF YENCH AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

(Applications nos. 6494/20 and 22 others –

see appended list)

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

13 April 2023

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

In the case of Yench and Others v. Russia,

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

Faris Vehabović , President , Armen Harutyunyan, Anja Seibert-Fohr , judges ,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 23 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 participants of public assemblies. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.

THE LAW

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

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 , nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68-73, 13 July 2021).

7. The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as participants of public assemblies, namely the dispersal of these assemblies, as well as their arrest followed by their conviction for administrative offence. 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, and having taken into account the issue of compliance with the six-month time-limit under Article 35 § 1 of the Convention (see Saakashvili v. Georgia (dec.), nos. 6232/20 and 22394/20, §§ 46-59, 1 March 2022, in which the Court addressed the COVID-related extension of the period in question), 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.

12. The 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 Butkevich v. Russia , no. 5865/07, §§ 63-65, 13 February 2018; Kalyapin v. Russia , no. 6095/09, § 76, 23 July 2019; and Korneyeva v. Russia , no. 72051/17, §§ 34-36, 8 October 2019, concerning different aspects of unlawful deprivation of liberty of the organisers or participants of public events; 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)).

13. Some applicants further raised additional complaints under Articles 5 and 6 of the Convention concerning other aspects of their detention and fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings. In view of the above findings, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.

14. Lastly, some applicants also raised other complaints under various Articles of the Convention.

15. The Court has examined these complaints and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints either do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention or do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention or the Protocols thereto.

16. It follows that this part of the applications must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention.

17. 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.”

18. 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,

(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 April 2023, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

Viktoriya Maradudina Faris Vehabović

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]

6494/20

17/01/2020

Roman Sergeyevich YENCH

1979Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

10/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 as administrative suspect: no evidence/ assessment of “exceptional circumstances” under the CAO, and after the administrative offence record had been compiled on 27/07/2019;

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

4,000

6872/20

28/01/2020

Vladimir Aleksandrovich GELMEL

1996Lawyers of the former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

10 days’ administrative arrest

Moscow City Court

02/08/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019: no evidence/ assessment of “exceptional circumstances” under the CAO;

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

5,000

7331/20

23/01/2020

Aleksey Nikolayevich KORNILOV

1990Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1, of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

10/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 as administrative suspect: no evidence/ assessment of “exceptional circumstances” under the CAO;

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

4,000

8342/20

03/02/2020

Dmitriy Vladimirovich POLEVOV

1993Lawyers of the former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

12/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to a police office on 27/07/2019 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence; detention in excess of 3 hours (administrative offence record was compiled on 31/07/2019);

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

4,000

8479/20

03/02/2020

Yuriy Vladimirovich POLYAKOV

1972Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

26/09/2019

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

3,500

8487/20

03/02/2020

Vasiliy Aleksandrovich YEREMEYEV

1983Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

24/09/2019

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 27/07/2019 in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence;

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

4,000

8491/20

03/02/2020

Maksim Anatolyevich BAZHENOV

1986Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

06/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of an administrative offence (the record was compiled on 31/07/2019);

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

4,000

10151/20

13/02/2020

Yevgeniy Viktorovich SVAROVSKIY

1971Savelyev Anton Alekseyevich

Domodedovo

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

20/09/2019

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

3,500

10389/20

11/02/2020

Danila Aleksandrovich PAKHOMOV

2000Sergeyeva Irina Vadimovna

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

04/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019 in excess of three hours, for "putting an end to the administrative offence" (the administrative offence record was compiled on 31/07/2019);

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

4,000

10539/20

17/02/2020

Igor Vladislavovich ABRAZHEVICH

1998Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

16/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019, in excess of three hours for the sole purpose of drawing up the administrative offence record, delayed escorting to the police station;

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

4,000

10606/20

17/02/2020

Konstantin Anatolyevich BOYKOV

1968Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

30/08/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019, in excess of three hours, for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record;

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

4,000

13339/20

03/03/2020

Vladimir Aleksandrovich GLADYSHEV

1947Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation in support of I. Golunov

Moscow

12/06/2019

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 8 of CAO

Article 20.2 § 8 of CAO

fine of RUB 150,000

10 days’ administrative arrest

Moscow City Court

16/09/2019

Moscow City Court

20/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, detention, escorting to a police station (i) on 12/06/2019 in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative record, and (ii) between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 as administrative suspect: no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO, after the arrest record had been compiled on 27/07/2019;

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

5,000

13343/20

03/03/2020

Viktor Viktorovich KIRILENKO

1994Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

10/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 as administrative suspect (and after the administrative offence record had been compiled on 28/07/2019): no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO;

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

4,000

19868/20

29/03/2020

Yegor Aleksandrovich KRUK

1985Pomazuyev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Vilnius

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

24/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting, detention at a police station on 27/07/2019 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record

4,000

27084/20

05/06/2020

Aleksey Aleksandrovich SEDOV

1996Pomazuyev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich

Vilnius

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 15,000

Moscow City Court

12/11/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019, in excess of three hours, for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence;

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

4,000

29649/20

18/06/2020

Aleksandr Nikolayevich SUVOROV

1985Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

22/01/2020

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting and detention at a police station on 27/07/2019 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence;

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

4,000

29696/20

13/07/2020

Aleksey Sergeyevich SMIRNOV

1983Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 12,000

Moscow City Court

18/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 28/07/2019, in excess of three hours, for the sole purpose of compiling an administrative offence record (the record was compiled on 31/07/2019);

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

4,000

29698/20

13/07/2020

Yuriy Viktorovich BALANOV

1972Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 20,000

Moscow City Court

16/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 as administrative suspect, and after the administrative offence record had been compiled on 27/07/2019: no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO;

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

4,000

29707/20

09/07/2020

Aleksandr Alekseyevich ZHILIN

1991Lawyers of the former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

16/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to the police office on 27/07/2019 in excess of three hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence;

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

4,000

30057/20

13/07/2020

Ivan Alekseyevich LIPATOV

1992Lawyers of former Memorial Human Rights Centre

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

16/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest, escorting to a police station, detention on 27/07/2019 in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence;

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

4,000

30701/20

30/06/2020

Ivan Igorevich GAVRIKOV

1995Laptev Aleksey Nikolayevich

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB 10,000

Moscow City Court

18/10/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to a police office, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence (compiled on 29/07/2019), in excess of three hours, no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO;

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

4,000

30978/20

28/05/2020

Timofey Yevgenyevich KRUGLYAKOV

1999Eysmont Mariya Olegovna

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO

fine of RUB15,000

Moscow City Court

18/11/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to a police office, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 in excess of three hours for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence (compiled on 28/07/2019) and subsequently for full and correct consideration of the case: no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO;

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

4,000

30988/20

30/06/2020

Aleksandr Andreyevich KOKORIN

1996Yatsenko Irina Aleksandrovna

Moscow

Manifestation for fair elections to Mosgorduma

Moscow

27/07/2019

Article 20.2 § 5 of CAO

fine of RUB 18,000

Moscow City Court

30/09/2019

Art. 5 (1) - unlawful deprivation of liberty, including unrecorded detention and detention without a judicial order and any other legal basis - arrest and escorting to the police office, detention between 27/07/2019 and 29/07/2019 in excess of three hours for the purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence (compiled on 28/07/2019) and subsequently for full and correct consideration of the case: no evidence/assessment of any "exceptional circumstances" under the CAO;

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