THIRD SECTION
CASE OF LEKIASHVILLI AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA
(Applications nos. 21113/21 and 27 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
18 September 2025
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Lekiashvilli and Others v. Russia,
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Diana Kovatcheva, President,
Canòlic Mingorance Cairat,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 28 August 2025,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
1. The case originated in applications against Russia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table.
2. The Russian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications.
THE FACTS
3. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.
4. The applicants complained of the disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies, notably in connection with their participation in various public events in breach of COVID-19-related restrictions. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
6. The Court observes that the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of the Convention occurred prior to 16 September 2022, the date on which the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the Convention. The Court therefore decides that it has jurisdiction to examine the present applications (see Fedotova and Others v. Russia [GC], nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68‑73, 17 January 2023).
7. The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies in connection with their participation in various public events in breach of COVID-19-related restrictions, namely their arrest in relation to the dispersal of these assemblies and their conviction for administrative offences. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 11 of the Convention.
8. The Court refers to the principles established in its case-law regarding freedom of assembly (see Kudrevičius and Others v. Lithuania [GC], no. 37553/05, ECHR 2015, with further references) and proportionality of interference with it (see Oya Ataman v. Turkey, no. 74552/01, ECHR 2006‑XIV, and Hyde Park and Others v. Moldova, no. 33482/06, 31 March 2009). It further refers to Nemytov and Others, no. 1257/21 and 2 Others, 27 May 2025, in so far as the application by the authorities of the COVID-19-related restrictions to assemblies are concerned.
9. In the leading cases of Nemytov and Others, cited above, Frumkin v. Russia, no. 74568/12, ECHR 2016 (extracts), Navalnyy and Yashin v. Russia, no. 76204/11, 4 December 2014, and Kasparov and Others v. Russia, no. 21613/07, 3 October 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
10. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion as to the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the interferences with the applicants’ freedom of assembly were not “necessary in a democratic society”.
11. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention
12. Some applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention and its Protocols, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible.
13. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that these complaints also disclose violations of the Convention and its Protocols in the light of its findings in Glukhin v. Russia, no. 11519/20, §§ 64-91, 4 July 2023, concerning processing of applicants’ personal biometric data by using highly intrusive facial recognition technology in administrative-offence proceedings in order to identify, locate and arrest them; Butkevich v. Russia, no. 5865/07, §§ 63-65, 13 February 2018, Tsvetkova and Others v. Russia, nos. 54381/08 and 5 others, §§ 115-31, 10 April 2018, and Korneyeva v. Russia, no. 72051/17, §§ 34-36, 8 October 2019, as to various aspects of unlawful deprivation of liberty of organisers or participants of public assemblies; Karelin v. Russia, no. 926/08, §§ 58-85, 20 September 2016, concerning the absence of a prosecuting party in the proceedings under the Code of Administrative Offences (the CAO), Martynyuk v. Russia, no. 13764/15, §§ 38-42, 8 October 2019, concerning the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal against the sentence of administrative detention.
14. Some applicants raised further additional complaints under the Convention concerning other aspects of fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings. In view of the findings in paragraphs 11 and 13 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.
15. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see in particular Navalnyy and Others v. Russia [Committee], nos. 25809/17 and 14 others, § 22, 4 October 2022), the Court finds it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;
that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 18 September 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Kovatcheva
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 11 of the Convention
(disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies)
Application no. Date of introduction | Applicant’s name Year of birth
| Representative’s name and location | Name of the public event Location Date | Administrative / criminal offence | Penalty | Final domestic decision Court Name Date | Other complaints under well-established case-law | Amount awarded for pecuniary and non‑pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros)[1] | |
21113/21 06/04/2021 | Yelena Nikolayevna LEKIASHVILLI 1979
| Pomazuyev Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Vilnius | Rally in support of A. Navalnyy
Yaroslavl
23/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | detention for 10 days | Yaroslavl Regional Court 28/01/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 7 p.m. on 23/01/2021 and 11 a.m. on 25/01/2021. | 5,000 | |
42307/21 04/08/2021 | Yegor Timofeyevich NECHAYEV 2001
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Anti-war rally
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | detention for 3 days | St Petersburg City Court 12/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 10.50 p.m. on 27/02/2022 and 4 a.m. on 28/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
| 5,000 | |
49175/21 28/09/2021 | Yelena Olegovna SAVELYEVA 1988
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg Regional Court 13/04/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 12.50 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 00.10 a.m. on 01/02/2021.
| 4,000 | |
49365/21 22/09/2021 | Anna Alekseyevna KRASILNIKOVA 2002
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 08/06/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 2.50 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 01 a.m. on 01/02/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceeding. | 4,000 | |
53975/21 17/10/2021 | Maksim Vyacheslavovich SAMOYLOV 1997
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 20/04/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 3.10 p.m. on 31/01/2021 and 1 a.m. on 01/02/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
55645/21 22/10/2021 | Leonid Igorevich KOVALEV 2002
| MOO MEMORIAL Human Rights Centre St Petersburg | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | detention for 8 days | St Petersburg City Court 28/04/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 10.10 p.m. on 21/04/2021 until 6 p.m. on 22/04/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO.
| 5,000 | |
55655/21 22/10/2021 | Mikhail Nikolayevich ALEKSEYEV 1997
| MOO MEMORIAL Human Rights Centre St Petersburg | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | detention for 5 days | St Petersburg City Court 06/07/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 7.30 p.m. on 21/04/2021 until 4.05 p.m. on 22/04/2021. | 5,000 | |
56500/21 27/10/2021 | Aleksandr Mikhaylovich SUKHANOV 1988
| MOO MEMORIAL Human Rights Centre St Petersburg | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | detention for 7 days | St Petersburg City Court 27/04/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 7.30 p.m. on 21/04/2021 until 2.30 p.m. on 22/04/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 5,000 | |
59266/21 12/11/2021 | Aliya Ramilevna ILYASOVA 1991
| Mikhaylova Varvara Dmitriyevna St Petersburg | Rally in support of A. Navalnyy
St Petersburg
23/01/2021 | St Petersburg Government Decree of 13/03/2020 related to anti-COVID-19 measures | fine of RUB 4,000 | Kuybyshevskiy District Court of St Petersburg 13/05/2021 |
| 3,500 | |
2069/22 15/12/2021 | Stanislav Yuryevich YAVORSKIY 1972
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 22/06/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 3,500 | |
2138/22 15/12/2021 | Viktoriya Aleksandrovna POPUGAYEVA 2001
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally “Free Navalnyy”
St Petersburg
21/04/2021 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | detention for 2 days | St Petersburg City Court 17/06/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 3,500 | |
4500/22 24/12/2021 | Sergey Savelyevich FEDEYEV 1972
| Memorial Human Rights Centre Moscow | Rally " Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 29/06/2021 |
| 3,500 | |
6203/22 30/12/2021 | Aleksandr Vitalyevich BLINOV 1974
| Sutormina Yekaterina Leonidovna St Petersburg | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 02/09/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 1.28 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 7 p.m. on 01/02/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
7515/22 27/01/2022 | Anita Aleksandrovna FRANTSKEVICH 2000
|
| Rally "Free Navalnyy"
Voronezh
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 5 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | Voronezh Regional Court 27/07/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 7.35 p.m. until 11.40 p.m. on 21/04/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
8027/22 26/01/2022 | Maksim Sergeyevich AGAFONOV 1999
| Kochenkov Viktor Valeryevich Izhevsk | Rally “Free Navalnyy”
Izhevsk
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 5 of CAO | fine of 10,000 RUB | Supreme Court of the Udmurt Republic 26/07/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station for compiling an offence report from 8 p.m. until 11.40 p.m. on 21/04/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
8265/22 02/02/2022 | Yuliya Yevgenyevna CHAPURINA 1991
| Kuroptev Aleksey Mikhaylovich Balashikha | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
Arkhangelsk
21/04/2021 | article 20.2 § 5 of CAO | fine of RUB 11,000 | Arkhangelsk Regional Court 03/08/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 8 (2) - restrictions on the right to private life of participants in public assemblies - use of facial recognition technology for the identification of the applicant as a participant of a rally and her subsequent conviction. | 4,000 | |
12281/22 24/02/2022 | Ramunas Gintaro RIMIDIS 1991
| Maltsev Konstantin Aleksandrovich Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 31/08/2021 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 12.40 p.m. on 31/01/2021 and 3.00 a.m. on 01/02/2021,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
| 4,000 | |
13885/22 28/02/2022 | Arina Vladimirovna MIKHEYEVA 2000
| Prosvirkina Kseniya Dmitriyevna Moscow | Rally "Free Navalnyy"
St Petersburg
31/01/2021 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 31/08/2021 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 3.10 p.m. on 31/01/2021 until 04.30 a.m. on 01/02/2021. | 4,000 | |
39911/22 19/07/2022 | Nikolay Yuryevich RABOVSKIY 1997
| Magomedova Luiza Magomedovna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 8.40 p.m. on 24/02/2022 and 02.39 a.m. on 25/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
39914/22 29/07/2022 | Darya Vladimirovna ULBASHEVA 2002
| Magomedova Luiza Magomedovna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 8 p.m. on 24/02/2022 and 02.08 a.m. on 25/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
39977/22 05/08/2022 | Artem Andreyevich UGRYUMOV 2000
| Nepovinnova Yana Andreyevna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
26/02/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg 21/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 8.50 p.m. on 26/02/2022 and 02.29 a.m. on 27/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
40528/22 08/08/2022 | Marat Faizovich NUREYEV 1991
| Nepovinnova Yana Andreyevna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
26/02/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | detention for 8 days | St Petersburg City Court 21/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 8.50 p.m. on 26/02/2022 and 4.20 a.m. on 27/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 5,000 | |
40705/22 10/08/2022 | German Aleksandrovich VERSILOV 1993
| Nepovinnova Yana Andreyevna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
28/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 24/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 11.15 p.m. on 28/02/2022 and 04.20 a.m. on 01/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
41668/22 09/08/2022 | Yekaterina Sergeyevna BROSALINA 1996
| Magomedova Luiza Magomedovna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO | detention for 10 days | St Petersburg City Court 14/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 6 p.m. on 06/03/2022 and 4.34 a.m. on 07/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO. | 5,000 | |
41674/22 09/08/2022 | Mariya Igorevna ASTASHINA 1991
| Magomedova Luiza Magomedovna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO | detention for 1 day | St Petersburg City Court 12/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 7 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. on 06/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
41677/22 09/08/2022 | Anton Aleksandrovich FEDOROV 2000
| Magomedova Luiza Magomedovna St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 5 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report between 00.06 a.m. and 07.46 a.m. on 28/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
46302/22 03/09/2022 | Anastasiya Olegovna KHLYUBTSEVA 1992
| Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 05/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 27/02/2022 for compiling an offence report,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 | |
46328/22 03/09/2022 | Leonid Vladimirovich NIKOLAYEV 1972
| Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich St Petersburg | Anti-war protest (against war in Ukraine)
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 17/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 24/02/2022 for compiling an offence report,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings. | 4,000 |
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.