A Mari activist sued the ECHR for compensation for prosecution in a case of criticism of the head of the republic

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to pay Mari activist Georgy Pirogov 10.5 thousand euros as compensation for prosecution in the case of criticism of the former head of the republic Leonid Markelov. The decision was published on the court's website.

In 2006, at a rally of the public movement “Mari Ushem”, Pirogov spoke sharply about Markelov’s policies, writes “Idel.Realii” with reference to human rights activists from the organization “Man and the Law”. Based on Markelov’s statement, a criminal case for libel was opened against the activist under Part 3 of Article 129 of the Criminal Code.

In court, Pirogov assured that his statements were a value judgment “concerning the activities of the entire executive branch of the regional government.” The court sentenced him to six months probation. After this, Markelov sued the oppositionist for 30 thousand rubles in a civil trial.

Pirogov appealed to the ECHR with a complaint about a violation of the right to freedom of expression (Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights).

in 2017 Markelov himself was detained in a criminal case of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code), illegal storage of ammunition (Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code) and abuse of power (Part 2 of Article 285 of the Criminal Code). The court confiscated his property worth 2.2 billion rubles.