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FOURTH SECTION CASE OF KUZIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA (Applications nos. 41710/21 and 29 others – see appended list)           JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 14 May 2024       This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.   In the case of Kuzin and Others v. Russia, The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Branko Lubarda, President,  Armen Harutyunyan,  Ana Maria Guerra Martins, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 11 April 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 the disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies. Some applicants 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, 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 and its Protocols, 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 and its Protocols 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); Elvira Dmitriyeva v. Russia, nos. 60921/17 and 7202/18, §§ 77-90, 30 April 2019, as to administrative conviction for making calls to participate in public assemblies; Martynyuk v. Russia, no. 13764/15, §§ 38-42, 8 October 2019, relating to the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal against the sentence of administrative detention. 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 9, 10 and 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 facts that took place before 16 September 2022; Declares the complaints under Article 11 of the Convention and the other complaints under the 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 and the Protocols thereto 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 14 May 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.    Viktoriya Maradudina Branko Lubarda  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]     41710/21 03/08/2021 Yuriy Anatolyevich KUZIN     Rally “Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 4 days Moscow City Court 04/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 3.45 p.m. 31/01/2021 until 3.45 p.m. on 02/02/2021. 5,000     41725/21 31/07/2021 Denis Vladimirovich KURUSHIN Chashchilova Mariya Valeryevna Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 10 days Moscow City Court 16/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 1.37 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 10.00 a.m. on 01/02/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000     41740/21 06/08/2021 Maksim Yevgenyevich DOMOZHIROV Kurochko Yelena Viktorovna Vologda Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Vologda   31/01/2021       article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Vologda Regional Court 27/04/2021   3,500     41941/21 10/08/2021 Aleksandr Sergeyevich DMITRIYEV Polyakova Veronika Valeryevna Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   02/02/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 10 days Moscow City Court 10/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000     42050/21 03/08/2021 Ilya Pavlovich SHAMOVSKIY Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 05/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000     42060/21 03/08/2021 Konstantin Yuryevich MASLOV Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 05/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000     42091/21 04/08/2021 Mikhail Aleksandrovich ALIYEV Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 8 days Moscow City Court 21/05/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 4 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 01/02/2021, when the applicant was taken to the Babushkinskiy District Court,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000     42100/21 04/08/2021 Yevgeniya Yuryevna MAYOROVA Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 10 days Moscow City Court 04/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000     42102/21 04/08/2021 Marat Rashitovich NAFIKOV Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 15 days Moscow City Court 09/02/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 1.40 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 9.40 p.m. on 01/02/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000   42106/21 03/08/2021 Dmitriy Sergeyevich TARASOV Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 05/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000   42108/21 04/08/2021 Nikita Sergeyevich KARNAUKHOV Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021   article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 05/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000   42110/21 04/08/2021 Ivan Anatolyevich LOBACHEV Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 08/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000   42123/21 03/08/2021 Vladislav Aleksandrovich VETOKHIN Sirosh Fedor Yevgenyevich Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 5 days Moscow City Court 05/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000   42151/21 31/07/2021 Dmitriy Svyatoslavovich MAKAROVSKIY Chashchilova Mariya Valeryevna Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Moscow City Court 13/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,500   42400/21 06/08/2021 Pavel Sergeyevich STRUNIN Lepekhin Andrey Gennadyevich Chelyabinsk Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Chelyabinsk   31/01/2021         article 20.2 § 2 of CAO detention for 9 days Chelyabinsk Regional Court 09/02/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 5,000   42510/21 05/08/2021 Sergey Nikolayevich VERBITSKIY Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 8 days Moscow City Court 04/02/2021 (decision served on the applicant on the following days) Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000   42579/21 11/08/2021 Adelina Timeryanovna BATYRSHINA Nurgaleyev Danil Ilnurovich Kazan Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Kazan   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic 24/02/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 2 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 4.30 p.m. on 01/02/2021 4,000   42587/21 11/08/2021 Yelizaveta Sergeyevna YELISEYEVA Nurgaleyev Danil Ilnurovich Kazan Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Kazan   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic 24/02/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 2 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 4.30 p.m. on 01/02/2021 4,000   42588/21 11/08/2021 Valeriya Eduardovna NIKOLAYEVA Nurgaleyev Danil Ilnurovich Kazan Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Kazan   31/01/2021     article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic 03/03/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 2 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 4.30 p.m. on 01/02/2021 4,000   43237/21 09/08/2021 Fedor Alekseyevich ZAKHAROV Eysmont Mariya Olegovna Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO detention for 10 days Moscow City Court 10/02/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 6.40 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 4.50 p.m. on 01/02/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 5,000   55895/21 29/10/2021 Vladislav Yuryevich RYBALKO Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   02/02/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Moscow City Court 17/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,500   55900/21 29/10/2021 Anton Viktorovich SYASIN Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Moscow City Court 17/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,500   55912/21 29/10/2021 Yelena Vitalyevna YELTSOVA Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Nizhniy Novgorod   31/01/2021       article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 5,000 Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court 28/07/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 3,500   56863/21 15/11/2021 Tatyana Aleksandrovna POKROVSKAYA Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO fine of RUB 15,000 Moscow City Court 19/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,500   56916/21 15/11/2021 Yuriy Ivanovich KUREYEV Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Moscow City Court 05/07/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 3,500   57035/21 10/11/2021 Sergey Mikhaylovich TERTIYENKO Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Moscow City Court 13/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 3,500   57108/21 07/10/2021 Yelizaveta Leonidovna ZAGORSKAYA Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Samara   23/01/2021         article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Samara Regional Court 08/04/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 4,000   57171/21 30/10/2021 Anastasiya Sergeyevna KASYANOVA Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Kurgan   21/04/2021 article 20.2 § 8 of CAO detention for 20 days Kurgan Regional Court 01/05/2021 Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 8.10 p.m. on 21/04/2021 until 10.13 a.m. on 22/04/2021,   Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,   Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. 5,000   58278/21 18/11/2021 Aleksey Igorevich KRIVOSHEIN Pershakova Yelena Yuryevna Moscow Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Moscow   31/01/2021 article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO fine of RUB 15,000 Moscow City Court 19/05/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings 3,500   58684/21 15/11/2021 Mikhail Andreyevich PANFILOV Sharangiya Sofya Zurabovna Nizhniy Novgorod Rally "Free Navalnyy"   Nizhniy Novgorod   23/01/2021 article 20.2 § 5 of CAO fine of RUB 10,000 Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court 16/06/2021 Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. 3,500     [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.