ECtHR finds violations of five Azeri activists' rights

The compensations totalling more than 51,000 euros have been awarded to five applicants from Azerbaijan, who challenged the lawfulness of their detentions and administrative arrests for participation in peaceful protests.

The reports posted on July 20 on the website of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) state that five activists from Azerbaijan – Dayanat Babaev, Ulvi Gasanli, Shakhin Mirzoev, Turgut Gambar and Ilkin Rustamzade – had been repeatedly detained, fined and arrested for their participations in protest actions in Baku in 2011-2013.

In its decisions, the ECtHR notes that these actions, although not sanctioned by city authorities, were peaceful. It also points to the tightening of the legislation in the sphere of mass meetings, the establishment of high monetary fines for violating the rules of organizing rallies. The Court found violations of the applicants' rights guaranteed by Articles 5 (right to liberty and security of the person), 6 (right to a fair trial) and 11 (freedom of assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.