14 June 2022
by Sergei Babinets, a human rights lawyer who until recently was chair person of the Committee Against Torture. He currently heads the Team against Torture
Source: Facebook
The European Court of Human Rights has deemed the Russian law “on foreign agents” a violation of human rights.
The Strasbourg judges have also awarded financial compensation to 73 Russian NGOs that were added to the registry of “foreign agents.”
The Committee against Torture was accused of engaging in political activity, including publicly criticizing the work of law enforcement agencies, organizing protest actions against the Investigative Committee’s inaction, submitting legislative initiatives, and talking about crimes committed by police officers.
The applicants included: Ekozashchita, the Committee against Torture, Golos, Agora, Memorial, Public Verdict, MAShR, Moscow Helsinki Group, Soldiers’ Mothers, For Human Rights, the Sakharov Centre, the Centre for Media Rights, Sutyazhnik, Dront, Women of the Don, and many others.
The ECtHR has resolved that each NGO be paid 10,000 euros.
In the light of recent events and the sabotage by Russian authorities of European (and also national) law, there will be no payments, naturally, just as there will be no changes when it comes to liberalizing legislation on civil society organizations.
Translated by Marian Schwartz
