29 August 2023, 17:10
ECtHR awards compensations to Pussy Riot* members for Cossack attack in Sochi
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has treated the disruption by Cossacks of the performance of the Pussy Riot* group in Sochi as a violation of the right to the freedom of expression, and awarded the applicants compensations of 15,000 euros each.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 6, 2015, the ECtHR accepted for consideration the complaint submitted by the members of the Pussy Riot* group against the policemen who had refused to investigate the case of the Cossacks’ attack on the group in Sochi before the Winter Olympics-2014.
On September 16, 2022, the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, the ECtHR stated that it retains its competence to consider applications against the Russian Federation, if they took place before that day.
Russian authorities failed to properly investigate the Cossacks’ attack on Pussy Riot* members. The state is responsible for that attack, as Cossacks helped the police during the 2014 Winter Olympics. The attack on Pussy Riot* prevented the group from performing their song. Its members tried to protest. As a result, the right of Pussy Riot* members to the freedom of expression was violated, says the ECtHR’s website.
Let us remind you that on February 19, 2014, Pussy Riot* members and those of the “Voina” (War) art group stated that they had been attacked by Cossacks in Sochi, who sprayed tear gas and beat them up with whips when they tried to film a video. Law enforcement bodies refused to open an investigation into the attack.
*Members of the Pussy Riot group created the “Mediazona” outlet covering political persecutions in modern Russia, and the human rights organization “Zona Prava” (Law Zone), both of which were recognized by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in 2021 as foreign agents.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 29, 2023 at 02:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
