The ECtHR recognized a violation of the rights of Vanessa Kogan due to the cancellation of the residence permit

The former director of “Pravovoy initiativy” Vanessa Kogan won the hearing of her complaint at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In the lawsuit, Kogan pointed to a violation of her rights in connection with the cancellation of a residence permit in Russia in 2021. Human rights defenders themselves announced the decision of the court in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

The ECtHR recognized that the cancellation of Vanessa Kogan’s residence permit on the basis of a “threat to national security” violated her, her husband’s and their children’s rights to respect for private and family life (Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights). The court also pointed out that the Russian authorities allowed the restriction of these rights for purposes not provided for by the Convention (Article 18).

The court determined that the Russian authorities could not properly justify the “security threat” allegedly emanating from the director of the human rights organization. The ECtHR ruled that the real reason for the cancellation of the residence permit is related to the intention to interfere with Kogan’s work in the “Pravovoy Initiative”.

In December 2020, it became known about the cancellation of the residence permit of US citizen Vanessa Kogan. At that time, she had been living with her family in Russia for 11 years. A few months before the decision on the visa, the human rights defender submitted documents for obtaining citizenship under a simplified procedure.

In 2021, the Koptevsky District Court of Moscow rejected the human rights defender’s claim to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The representative of the FSB at the meeting, according to Kogan, explained his refusal to disclose the arguments that formed the basis of the ministry’s decision as a “state secret,” Mediazona writes.

• Two years ago, it was reported that the court in Strasbourg communicated Kogan’s mourning and that the ECtHR would consider whether the actions of the Russian authorities in relation to Kogan violate the Convention on Human Rights.
• In June, Russia entered into force a law rejecting all court decisions made after March 16, 2022.