The ECtHR issued a decision on the claim of “Svobody” employee Artem Radygin

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on the lawsuit of a group of 11 applicants who complained of violence by police officers during various actions in Russia, including during mass demonstrations in the winter of 2021 in support of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

The actions of the police were challenged in the ECHR, including by journalist Artem Radygin of the Russian Service of Radio Liberty. In the lawsuit, he indicated that at a rally in Moscow on January 23, 2021, in support of Navalny, a police officer hit him on the head with a rubber baton. The journalist managed to capture this moment on camera. In the hospital, doctors recorded a bruise on the left side of the head.

Radygin turned for help to the Main Police Department in Moscow and later to the Tver district office of the Investigative Committee. But both of his statements remained unanswered. Subsequently, the journalist appealed against the authorities’ rejection of the mayor in two Russian courts, which rejected his arguments, according to the conclusions of the court in Strasbourg.

In a lawsuit at the ECHR, Artem Radygin pointed to the brutal treatment of him by the police in order to prevent him from fulfilling his professional duties. He also pointed to the violation of his right to freedom of expression. As a result, Radygin and 10 other applicants were awarded compensation of 16 thousand euros each. The court confirmed, in particular, that the provisions of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits the use of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, were violated.

The Strasbourg court emphasizes that the defendant state must pay all sums within three months. The decision is dated July 20.

• In the decision of the ECHR, it is noted that the events that the applicants indicated in their complaints about violations occurred before September 16, 2022. This is the date when Russia ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. Accordingly, the court concludes, the ECHR has jurisdiction to consider these claims.
• Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on March 16, 2022 due to a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. In response, Moscow decided not to implement the decisions of the ECHR issued after this date. The corresponding law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 11.
• At the actions in support of Alexei Navalny on January 23, 2021, more than three and a half thousand people were detained throughout Russia, of which more than 1,400 were taken to Moscow offices. Independent observers called the rallies the most massive at that time in Russia in the last several years Performances were held in approximately 110 cities. at least 250 thousand people participated in them. The trade union of journalists and mass media workers, as well as the “OVD-Info” project, revealed at least 50 cases of obstruction of professional activity. Journalists were detained in at least 17 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was noted that all the detained and injured journalists were wearing special vests or armbands with the inscription “Press”, all of them had their IDs with them.