Restriction of gatherings during the Olympics in Sochi appealed to the Constitutional Court

David Khakim, who was detained in February during a solo picket in Sochi, appealed to the Constitutional Court against a presidential decree restricting public events in the region during the Olympic Games as violating the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of assembly and the ability to restrict human rights only by federal laws. Vedomosti writes about this on January 19, citing lawyer Alexander Popkov.

In April, the Central District Court of Sochi fined Hakim 30,000 rubles for holding a one-man picket in support of environmentalist Yevgeny Vitishko. Under the law, a single picket does not require approval, but this rule was canceled for the duration of the Olympics by a presidential decree. The Krasnodar Regional Court upheld the decision, and in the fall the verdict was appealed to the ECtHR.

Although the decree is no longer in force, the decision of the Constitutional Court may allow other cases of violations at public events in the region during the Olympic Games to be reviewed. In addition, in the future, similar norms may be applied again, for example, in 2018 during the World Cup, Popkov emphasizes.

The decree, issued in August 2013, banned from January to March 2014 to hold in Sochi and its environs events "not related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games." It has been argued that such restrictions are necessary for security reasons, as well as in connection with the requirements of the Olympic Charter (which, however, provides for restrictions only in Olympic areas and only for Olympic structures, athletes, and persons who agree to be guided by this document). In January 2014, these requirements were somewhat softened, allowing demonstrations to be held in the village of Khosta between Sochi and the Olympic Village in Adler, subject to coordination of the number and route of the action with the local police and the FSB.

During the preparations for the Olympics and the Games in the Krasnodar Territory, pressure on political activists increased sharply, cases of preventive detentions, "warnings", interrogations, searches and inspections became more frequent. The Olympic Games have become an occasion for protests in other regions and the persecution of their participants: according to OVD -Info, from September 2013 to March 2014, at least 155 people were detained in connection with the Olympics in 26 cities of Russia.

In June 2013, a law was passed to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, which allowed the president to restrict "the holding of public events not related to sports competitions" to ensure security during the championship. The law was criticized by the Russian Confederation of Labor, which announced that it was going to appeal it to the Constitutional Court and the International Labor Organization.

Olympic persecution