Denisenko: Supreme Court's decision to abolish the ban on bringing dictaphones and photo cameras will benefit lawyers

Human rights activists, lawyers and bloggers of Northern Caucasus are welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (SCRF) to allow lawyers to bring voice recorders (dictaphones) and photo cameras with them to correctional establishments.

The decision to lift the ban on bringing the above devices was passed on February 7. Once the complete text of the decision is ready, the parties may challenge it at the appeal instance of the SCRF, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the press service of the SCRF.

On February 7, the SCRF satisfied the petition lodged by the inmate Sergey Mokhnatkin, convicted on charges of assaulting a policeman during the rally in Triumph Square, and lifted the ban, under which lawyers were not allowed to bring audio and photo equipment to prisons.

The pretext for lodging the petition was the ban on bringing a photo camera faced by Valery Shukhardin, Mr Mokhnatkin's advocate. The lawyer wanted to document the health condition of his client, who had gone on hunger strike and was placed into the SIZO for 40 days. Sergey Mokhnatkin, sentenced to two and a half years for use of force against a policeman during the "Strategy-31" action, went on hunger strike in protest against regular penalties imposed on him.

It is worth noting that the decision of the SCRF was made contrary to the viewpoint of the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor's Office, who insisted on maintaining the ban.

"This is a positive decision, which is very important for the people involved in advocacy, especially in the Caucasus," said Elena Denisenko, the representative of the HRC "Memorial" in Dagestan.

"Earlier, lawyers sometimes had to break the ban and bring cameras to SIZOs and IVSs to take pictures of their beaten clients," said Rustam Matsev, a lawyer from Karachay-Cherkessia.

"The decision of the SCRF is timely," said the lawyer Sapiyat Magomedova.

The users of the Facebook social network, members of the groups "Journalists of Dagestan" and "Advocacy of Dagestan", also welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.