33482/21;33584/21;33776/21;33791/21;33795/21;33799/21;33805/21;33812/21;33813/21;33839/21;33840/21;33842/21;33843/21;33865/21;33873/21;34084/21;34092/21;34096/21;34356/21;34368/21;34408/21;34424/21;34428/21;55921/21;2282/22

THIRD SECTION CASE OF ZAKHAROVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA (Applications nos. 33482/21 and 24 others – see appended list)             JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 16 October 2025   This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Zakharova and Others v. Russia, The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Diana Kovatcheva, President,  Canòlic Mingorance Cairat,  Vasilka Sancin, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 25 September 2025, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.  The case originated in applications against Russia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table. 2.  The Russian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications. THE FACTS 3.  The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table. 4.  The applicants complained of the disproportionate measures taken against them as participants of public assemblies held in January 2021 in Cheboksary. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention. THE LAW JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS 5.  Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment. JURISDICTION 6.  The Court observes that the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of the Convention occurred prior to 16 September 2022, the date on which the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the Convention. The Court therefore decides that it has jurisdiction to examine the present applications (see Fedotova and Others v. Russia [GC], nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68‑73, 17 January 2023). ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE CONVENTION 7.  The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies, namely their arrest in relation to the dispersal of these assemblies and their conviction for administrative offences. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 11 of the Convention. 8.  The Court refers to the principles established in its case-law regarding freedom of assembly (see Kudrevičius and Others v. Lithuania [GC], no. 37553/05, ECHR 2015, with further references) and proportionality of interference with it (see Oya Ataman v. Turkey, no. 74552/01, ECHR 2006‑XIV, and Hyde Park and Others v. Moldova, no. 33482/06, 31 March 2009). 9.  In the leading cases of Frumkin v. Russia, no. 74568/12, ECHR 2016 (extracts), Navalnyy and Yashin v. Russia, no. 76204/11, 4 December 2014 and Kasparov and Others v. Russia, no. 21613/07, 3 October 2013 and, in so far as relevant in the context of the application by the authorities of the COVID-19-related restrictions to assemblies, Nemytov and Others v. Russia, no. 1257/21 and 2 others, 27 May 2025, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case. 10.  Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion as to the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the interferences with the applicants’ freedom of assembly were not “necessary in a democratic society”. 11.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW 12.  Some applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible. 13.  Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that these complaints also disclose violations of the Convention in the light of its findings in Butkevich v. Russia, no. 5865/07, §§ 63-65, 13 February 2018, Tsvetkova and Others v. Russia, nos. 54381/08 and 5 others, §§ 115-31, 10 April 2018, and Korneyeva v. Russia, no. 72051/17, §§ 34-36, 8 October 2019, as to various aspects of unlawful deprivation of liberty of organisers or participants of public assemblies; Karelin v. Russia, no. 926/08, §§ 58-85, 20 September 2016, concerning the absence of a prosecuting party in the proceedings under the Code of Administrative Offences (the CAO); and Novikova and Others v. Russia, nos. 25501/07 and 4 others, §§ 106-225, 26 April 2016, relating to disproportionate measures taken by the authorities against participants of solo manifestations. REMAINING COMPLAINTS 14.  Some applicants raised further additional complaints under Article 6 of the Convention concerning other aspects of fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings. In view of the findings in paragraphs 10-13 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION 15.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see in particular Navalnyy and Others v. Russia [Committee], nos. 25809/17 and 14 others, § 22, 4 October 2022), the Court finds it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table. FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY, Decides to join the applications; Holds that it has jurisdiction to deal with these applications as they relate to the facts that took place before 16 September 2022; Declares the complaints under Article 11 of the Convention and the other complaints under well-established case-law of the Court, as set out in the appended table, admissible, and finds that there is no need to examine separately the remaining complaints under Article 6 of the Convention; Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention; Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention as regards the other complaints raised under the well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table); Holds (a)  that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement; (b)  that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points. Done in English, and notified in writing on 16 October 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.    Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Kovatcheva  Acting Deputy Registrar President     APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 11 of the Convention (disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth   Representative’s name and location Name of the public event Location Date Administrative / criminal offence Penalty Final domestic decision Court Name Date Other complaints under well‑established case-law Amount awarded for pecuniary and non‑pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros)[1]     33482/21 03/06/2021 Karina Aleksandrovna ZAKHAROVA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 16/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up an offence record,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33584/21 03/06/2021 Andrey Vyacheslavovich ANDREYEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 11,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 22/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33776/21 03/06/2021 Ilya Vladimirovich VASILYEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 23/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence 4,000     33791/21 03/06/2021 Vasiliy KERIMOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 24/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33795/21 03/06/2021 Irina Sergeyevna PERFILOVA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 30/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to a police station on 02/02/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence in connection with the rally of 23/01/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33799/21 03/06/2021 Larisa Mikhaylovna VASILYEVA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 12,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 18/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station and detention on 30/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence in respect of participation in the rally of 23/01/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33805/21 03/06/2021 Semen Vladimirovich KALASHNIKOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 08/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33812/21 03/06/2021 Konstantin Viktorovich DMITRIYEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 30/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000     33813/21 03/06/2021 Sergey Leonidovich ZLOBIN   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 16/03/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings   3,500   33839/21 03/06/2021 Denis Mikhaylovich RADCHENKO   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 11/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station and detention between 30/01/2021 and 01/02/2021 as administrative suspect, pending trial and after the offence record in respect of the rally of 23/01/2021 had been compiled,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   33840/21 03/06/2021 Nikolay Borisovich RYABENKO   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 01/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of an administrative offence 4,000   33842/21 03/06/2021 Igor Leonidovich SKVORTSOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO  fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 19/02/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up the offence record,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   33843/21 03/06/2021 Vladislav Aleksandrovich NIKOLAYEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO  fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 16/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   33865/21 03/06/2021 Aleksey Sergeyevich IGNATYEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 27/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   33873/21 03/06/2021 Roman Sergeyevich YAKOVLEV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 12,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 06/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to a police station, on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34084/21 03/06/2021 Andrey Vyacheslavovich PLATONOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 16/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station and detention between 31/01/2021 and 01/02/2021 as administrative suspect, after the offence record had been compiled,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34092/21 03/06/2021 Leonid Vitalyevich YEFIMOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO  fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 30/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34096/21 03/06/2021 Anastasiya Vitalyevna REPINA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 29/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station and detention on 31/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34356/21 03/06/2021 Mikhail Yuryevich GAVRIKOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 30/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - the applicant taken to the police station as an administrative suspect for the purposes of drawing a record of an administrative offence; no written record of the administrative escort,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34368/21 03/06/2021 Liliya Anatolyevna IVANOVA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 20/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34408/21 03/06/2021 Arina Aleksandrovna YEGOROVA   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 09/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 23/01/2021 for the sole purpose of drawing up an offence record,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34424/21 03/06/2021 Viktor Vasilyevich FEDOROV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 13/04/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest, escorting to a police station on 02/02/2021 (as per the courts’ findings citing relevant records) for the sole purpose of drawing up an offence record in respect of the rally of 23/01/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   34428/21 03/06/2021 Dmitriy Alekseyevich FEDOROV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 18/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - on 23/01/2021 the applicant was taken to the police station - the escort was not absolutely necessary 4,000   55921/21 26/10/2021 Mikhail Veniaminovich CHERNOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 29/04/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,5000   2282/22 06/12/2021 Stepan Stepanovich FILIPPOV   Glukhov Aleksey Vladimirovich Novocheboksarsk Rally in support of A. Navalnyy   Cheboksary   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 17/08/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - both sets of proceedings,   Art. 10 (1) - disproportionate measures against solo demonstrators - Cheboksary, 05/08/2020, solo demonstration against the refusal to register the applicant as candidate for local elections - conviction under article 20.2 § 1 of CAO, fine of RUB 10,000, final judgment of 26/08/2021 by the Supreme Court of the Chuvashia Republic 5,000     [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.