The ECHR communicated the complaint of Roslovtsev, who was persecuted for walking in a Putin mask

The European Court of Human Rights communicated the complaint of Roman Roslovtsev, who was repeatedly detained for walking in a Putin mask in the center of Moscow. Lawyer Nikolai Zboroshenko, who represents Roslovtsev’s interests in the ECHR, reported this to OVD-Info.

The communicated complaint, published on the court’s website, combines six similar claims by Roslovtsev, Zboroshenko explained.

Roslovtsev complains about detentions on March 24 on the Kremlin embankment and on April 1 , 15 , 20 , May 14 and June 10 on Red Square. On May 14, Yuri Merzlov was detained together with Roslovtsev, who was also walking in a Putin mask; in other cases, Roslovtsev was alone. In some cases, the walk was accompanied by a demonstration of the banner “I’m not afraid 212.1” (we are talking about an article of the Criminal Code that punishes “repeated violations of the rules for holding public events”), or Roslovtsev was wearing a T-shirt with the same slogan.

For the action on the embankment, Roslovtsev was fined 10 thousand rubles. For a walk along Red Square on April 20, he was fined 15 thousand, on April 1 and 15 - 20 thousand.

For the actions on May 14 and June 10, Part 8 of Art. 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses on “repeated violation of the procedure for holding public events. In May he was arrested for 20 days , in June - for 30 days .

Roslovtsev appealed all decisions in the Moscow City Court, but all of them were recognized as legal and entered into force.

Roslovtsev complained to the ECHR about a violation of the right to freedom during detention, about inhumane conditions of detention in the Kitay-Gorod police station after detention, about a violation of the right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of assembly, according to the court’s website.

The court, in particular, asked the Russian government whether the ban on holding rallies on Red Square was “necessary in a democratic society” and how this ban was explained, as well as whether the suppression of rallies, detention and arrest of Roslovtsev were “necessary in a democratic society.” The ECHR also asked whether the Russian court gave a proper assessment to the fact that Roslovtsev was wearing a mask: whether the court determined whether it was an attempt not to be recognized or a form of self-expression.

In August 2016, it became known that Roslovtsev asked for political asylum from the Ukrainian authorities. Soon, however, he returned to Moscow and on September 27 he was again detained on Red Square. The series of arrests continued, and in October Roslovtsev was arrested for 20 days, and in November he was fined 300 thousand rubles.