15:16, 24 April 2017

Navalny supporter from Sochi complains about persecution to ECtHR

Legal representatives of Vitaly Nebieridze, a Sochi activist, who has served his eight-day arrest on charges of organizing an anti-corruption rally, found a violation of his rights in authorities’ actions and filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Sochi activists had supported the all-Russian anti-corruption action on March 26, organized after the Alexei Navalny’s "Anti-Corruption Fund" released its investigation "He's not Dimon for you". On that day, the Sochi Mayoralty refused to sanction the action; and some of its participants were detained.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Vitaly Nebieridze complained that he had to spend his entire arrest in the cell with smokers, although he asked to place him into a non-smoking cell. Such treatment of the inmate falls under Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits any humiliating treatment of prisoners, the activist’s advocate has stated.

The first complaint to the ECtHR in connection with detentions of anti-corruption protesters in Russia has been filed on behalf of the Sochi resident Vitaly Nebieridze, said Pavel Chikov, the head of the “Agora” International Human Rights Group. "This is the first complaint related to March 26, but not the last one. According to various estimates, some 1500-2000 administrative cases were initiated," the “Kommersant” quotes Mr Chikov as saying today.

In the opinion of Mikhail Benyash, a Nebieridze's advocate, the ECHR’s Articles 10 (freedom of speech and expression), 11 (freedom of assembly), 6 (right to a fair trial) and 5 (right to liberty and personal inviolability) were violated in relation to his client.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.