Estemirova's colleagues complain to ECtHR about detentions for memory action

The memory action held on the 10th anniversary of the murder of Natalia Estemirova in Moscow was peaceful, but law enforcers detained its participants, while the court considered the case in the absence of the state prosecutor, says the complaint sent by Alexander Cherkasov and Svetlana Gannushkina, the chairman and a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", respectively, to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported, on July 15, 2019, three picketers in memory of Natalia Estemirova were detained in Red Square in Moscow: Alexander Cherkasov, Svetlana Gannushkina and Elena Milashina, a journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper.

The above Alexander Cherkasov and Svetlana Gannushkina appealed to the ECtHR with a complaint about the arrests during the picket, the "Kommersant" reported on July 21.

In her appeal, Gannushkina claims the violation of several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), in particular, of Article 5, which guarantees the right to liberty and personal immunity. She also claimed a violation of Article 6 of the ECHR – right to a fair trial. According to Gannushkina, the court session was held without a state prosecutor, which means that the functions thereof were actually performed by the judge. Besides, the court refused to summon witnesses who could "demonstrate to the court the inconsistency of policemen's version."

Mr Cherkasov claimed similar violations in his complaint.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 22, 2020 at 11:41 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.