ECtHR awards compensations to Krasnodar activists

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Russian authorities to pay compensation to activists, Alexei Knedlyakovsky (Nekrasov) and Victor Chirikov, for violations of the right to freedom of expression and the right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment; they are figurants in the case about the action at the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 21, 2016, policemen came to the Krasnodar activist, Victor Chirikov, and stated that he was suspected of placing a Catholic cross on the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky on the Day of Security Service Workers, which is celebrated on December 20. The next day, it became known that the blogger and painter Alexei Knedlyakovsky (Nekrasov) was also detained for having posted a photo in social networks of the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky with a Catholic cross. A court in Krasnodar sentenced Chirikov and Knedlyakovsky to 15 days of arrest, finding them guilty of petty hooliganism.

On March 29, the ECtHR found violations of the rights of Chirikov and Knedlyakovsky (Nekrasov) to the freedom of expression, and in the case of Chirikov – also a violation of the right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment, the ECtHR's decision has stated.

According to the ECtHR, the violations of activists' rights consisted in the fact that their advocates were not allowed to attend the court sessions of the first instance in Krasnodar; and the court in Russia failed to consider whether the applicants' action was an expression of their opinion.

As a result, the ECtHR has awarded Chirikov 8300 euros of compensation, and 7500 euros – to Knedlyakovsky (Nekrasov).

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 30, 2022 at 03:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.