The ECHR found the search in the Agora office to be a violation

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found the search at the office of the human rights organization Agora to be a violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. This was reported by the head of Agora, Pavel Chikov.

In July 2009, police conducted a ten-hour search at the Agora office in Kazan: according to security officials, the organization did not pay taxes on donations. During the search, operatives tried to remove documents and the chief accountant’s computer from the office without an inventory of what was seized. The search also affected two lawyers who shared premises with Agora. The next day, Chikov spent more than six hours being interviewed by the tax crime department.

The pre-investigation investigation into the case lasted three months, after which the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to initiate a criminal case. At the national level, Agora achieved recognition of some of the operatives’ actions as illegal, and also successfully challenged the tax authorities’ claims.

Human rights activists also appealed to the ECHR. In its decision, the court recognized that the Russian Federation had violated the provisions of the Convention on the inviolability of the home (Article 8 of the Convention). The ECtHR also awarded 7,500 euros in compensation from the Russian authorities in favor of the applicants.

• On June 11, 2022, Putin signed a law allowing the Russian government not to implement ECHR decisions taken after March 15, 2022, the day the Russian Federation left the Council of Europe.