In a judgement returned on Thursday 2 February, the European Court of Human rights (ECHR) noted several violations in Russia of the right to liberty (article 5), the right to a fair trial (article 6) and the freedom of assembly (article 11) laid down in the European Convention on Human Rights, when examining the case of the emblematic political opponent Alexeï Navalny.
The request concerned the fact that Navalny, a political activist of nationalistic tendencies but in favour of rapprochement with the West, has been arrested seven times. A figurehead of the opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has come to public attention with his militant anti-corruption stance and his blog. The arrests referred to in this case occurred in 2012 and 2014, at a number of public gatherings that were not declared but peaceful, the Court observed.
The Court also said that six of the seven "administrative infringement" trials held subsequently were unfair as the courts based their judgements on the versions put forward by the police alone, without ever verifying the allegations of the accused and rejecting his demands, on the basis of the assumption that all witnesses testifying in his favour were in each case partial.
By way of fair satisfaction, the Court calls on Russia to pay Alexeï Navalny €1,025 in material damages, €50,000 for non-material damages and €12,653 for his costs and expenditure. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)