34071/18;58503/18;8092/19;15085/19;44574/19;60677/19;4440/20;17662/20;18629/20;18726/20;25437/20;32161/20;37471/20;38241/20;41370/20;41374/20;41377/20;41379/20;51025/20

THIRD SECTION CASE OF SOKOLOV AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA (Applications nos. 34071/18 and 18 others – see appended list)             JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 16 January 2025   This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Sokolov and Others v. Russia, The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Diana Kovatcheva, President,  Úna Ní Raifeartaigh,  Mateja Đurović, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 5 December 2024, 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 restrictions on the location, time or manner of conduct of public events. Some applicants also raised complaints under Article 13 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 the restrictions on the location, time or manner of conduct of public events listed in the appended table. 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). 9.  In the leading case of Lashmankin and Others v. Russia, nos. 57818/09 and 14 others, 7 February 2017, and, more recently, in Pleshkov and Others v. Russia, nos. 29356/19 and 31119/19, 21 November 2023, 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 on 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 interference with the applicant s’ freedom of assembly (for further details see the appended table) was either based on legal provisions which did not meet the Convention’s “quality of law” requirements, or was not “necessary in a democratic society”. 11.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention. REMAINING COMPLAINTS 12.  Some applicants raised other complaints under the Convention. 13.  The Court has examined these complaints and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints either do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention or do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention or the Protocols thereto. 14.  It follows that this part of the applications must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION 15.  Having regard to the nature of the applicants’ complaints, the Court considers that the finding of a violation constitutes sufficient just satisfaction for any non‑pecuniary damage the applicants may have suffered (see, among recent authorities, Pleshkov and Others, cited above, § 76, and the cases cited therein; see also, mutatis mutandis, Alekseyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 14988/09 and 50 others, § 29, 27 November 2018). 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 facts that took place before 16 September 2022; Declares the complaints under Article 11 of the Convention about restrictions on the location, time or manner of conduct of public events listed in the appended table admissible and the remainder of the applications inadmissible; Holds that these complaints disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention concerning the restrictions on the location, time or manner of conduct of public events listed in the appended table; Holds that the finding of a violation constitutes in itself sufficient just satisfaction. Done in English, and notified in writing on 16 January 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 (restrictions on the location, time or manner of conduct of public events) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth   Representative’s name and location Location Date of the public event planned Restrictions applied Final domestic decision (type of procedure) Date Name of the court     34071/18 07/07/2018 Yevgeniy Vladislavovich SOKOLOV       Belgorod   Rally to support A. Navalnyy’s presidential candidacy   16/09/2017   proposal to change the time, proposal to change the manner of conduct Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure    Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 28/04/2018     58503/18 29/11/2018 Anton Viktorovich STRUNIN     Several locations in Penza   Numerous rallies planned between 07/05/2017 and 28/01/2018 proposal to change the location, proposal to change the time   Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued between 31/05/2018 and 29/11/2018.     8092/19 26/01/2019 Tatyana Viktorovna GRIGORYEVA   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Movie theatre "Pobeda", Belgorod   Rally to support A. Navalnyy’s presidential candidacy   30/12/2017 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 20/11/2018     15085/19 06/03/2019 Lyubov Eduardovna SOBOL   Zamyatin Yevgeniy Mikhaylovich Berlin Prospekt Sakharova, Moscow   Meetings with A. Navalnyy   14/10/2017, 21/10/2017, 26/11/2017. proposal to change the location       Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 11/09/2018 and 12/09/2018         44574/19 09/08/2019 Yelena Vasilyevna SYEDINA   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya Square, Belgorod Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   06/12/2018 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 22/07/2019     60677/19 11/11/2019   Viktor Borisovich SOROKIN   Arkadiy Yuryevich BULATOV   Mikhail Viktorovich KONDRYUKOV   Anna Viktorovna KONDRYUKOVA     Olga Aleksandrovna KONDRYUKOVA   Yelena Borisovna SIDOR   Vladislav Viktorovich SOROKIN       Several locations in Novosibirsk   Several rallies planned between 17/08/2018 and 31/08/2018 proposal to change the location, general prohibition on holding public events at certain locations (museum buildings) Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 13/05/2019     4440/20 28/12/2019 Tatyana Mikhayvna PAVLOVA   Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Several locations in Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Region   Protest against the building of a waste incineration plant 25/08/2018, 09/09/2018, 15/09/2018. proposal to change the location     Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 28/06/2019 and 09/07/2019     17662/20 08/01/2020 Vladimir Vladislavovich PLESHKOV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Okhotnyy Ryad, in front of the Russian State Duma building, Moscow   Series of pickets against pension reform on 13/04/2019, 30/05/2019, 15/06/2019, 02/08/2019. proposal to change the location         Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 06/12/2019, 09/12/2019.       18629/20 02/04/2020 Andrey Sergeyevich RUBAN   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Rally calling for the release of political prisoners   07/10/2019 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 13/03/2020   18726/20 02/04/2020 Yuriy Ivanovich POLYAKOV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against political repressions   03/10/2019 and 22/10/2019 proposal to change the location           Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 10/03/2020 and 13/03/2020       25437/20 13/05/2020 Yelena Vasilyevna SYEDINA   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   14/11/2019 and 17/12/2019 proposal to change the location         Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 07/04/2020 and 03/07/2020   32161/20 15/07/2020 Tatyana Viktorovna GRIGORYEVA   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   23/12/2019       proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 23/06/2020   37471/20 06/08/2020 Maksim Yevgenyevich KLIMOV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Protest to demand the release of political prisoners   13/12/2019 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 22/06/2020   38241/20 14/07/2020 Vladimir Vladislavovich PLESHKOV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Tverskaya street (in front of Moscow Town Hall), Moscow   Protest to demand the release of political prisoners   25/11/2019 and 28/01/2020 proposal to change the location             Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 06/07/2020 and 17/07/2020   41370/20 31/08/2020 Ruslan Sergeyevich MORMYSHEV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   17/12/2019 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 03/07/2020   41374/20 31/08/2020 Valeriya Igorevna DRONOVA       Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   17/12/2019       proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 03/07/2020   41377/20 31/08/2020 Kirill Sergeyevich DRONOV       Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   17/12/2019 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 03/07/2020   41379/20 31/08/2020 Tatyana Yuryevna SYEDINA   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Sobornaya square, Belgorod   Demonstration against restricted access to the Belgorod water reservoir   17/12/2019 proposal to change the location Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 03/07/2020   51025/20 13/10/2020 Vladimir Vladislavovich PLESHKOV   Sokolov Yevgeniy Vladislavovich Belgorod Tverskaya street (in front of Moscow Town Hall), Moscow   Protest to demand the release of political prisoners   10/12/2019, 31/12/2019, 14/02/2020, 02/03/2020, 16/03/2020 proposal to change the location       Judicial review under the Code of Administrative Procedure   Supreme Court of the Russian Federation 08/09/2020 and 21/09/2020