The ECHR awarded four thousand euros to a carpenter from Karelia

The European Court of Human Rights upheld the claim of Karelian carpenter Sergei Filenko and ordered Russia to pay him four thousand euros because the activist was detained at rallies in support of oppositionist Alexei Navalny. And also because he was fined twice under the article on discrediting the army. About this Filenko reported North. Realities.

“I first lost all the appeals in Russia, and then I went to the European Court. And, now, I won. They wrote in the decision that they did not find the impartiality of the Russian court. I understand that I will most likely never see this money, but it’s important the very fact of the decision,” Filenko said.

In March 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe. In September 2022, it officially ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. The Russian authorities have adopted a law on non-execution of ECHR decisions.

• In 2021, Filenko was detained twice during protests in support of politician Alexei Navalny in the center of Petrozavodsk. He filed a complaint with the ECHR for illegal detention and a fine.
• After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Filenko was twice fined a total of 60 thousand rubles under the article on discrediting the Russian army due to anti-war posts on VKontakte. In them, he called the invasion of Ukraine a war, and Russian soldiers – occupiers. Fines he paid bills with anti-war statements.
• After two fines for anti-war statements and threats of criminal prosecution, Filenko left to Finland, where he became a political refugee.