The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has requested information from Russia on what restrictions have been imposed on suspects in the case concerning the large-scale unrest that took place at Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square in May 2012.
“The European Court has posed general as well as specific questions on each suspect to the Russian government,” lawyer representing several suspects, Dmitry Agranovsky, told Interfax on Monday.
The ECHR has already given priority to and merged the complaints of seven suspects – Vladimir Akimenkov, Yaroslav Belousov, Leonid Kovyazin, Artyom Savyolov, Andrei Barabanov, Mikhail Kosenko and Nikolai Kavkazsky, the lawyer said.
The ECHR has given priority to these complaints and has sent 22 pages of questions to the Russian government, Agranovsky said. The responses are expected by January 17, 2014, he said.
According to the documents provided by Agranovsky, the ECHR wants to know what restrictions have been imposed on the suspects, how these restrictions have been extended and in what conditions the suspects are currently kept. The ECHR has also requested information on charges brought against and medical care provided to the suspects.
The May 6, 2012 opposition rally sanctioned by the Moscow authorities at Bolotnaya Square escalated to clashes with police, as a result of which over 400 people were detained. A criminal case over appeals for large-scale unrest and use of force against representatives of the authorities was opened on the same day.
A total of 26 people are currently suspects in the case: travel restrictions have been imposed on six people, two are under house arrest, two have been put on the international most wanted list and the others are in a detention facility. Three suspects have been convicted.