European Court Rules Russia Must Pay Activists For Limiting Their Rights

The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to pay a group of Russian activists 183,000 euros ($197,300) in compensation for limiting their right to hold public gatherings.

The ruling was posted on the court's website on February 7.

According to the court decision, Russia must pay between 7,500 euros ($8,000) and 10,000 euros ($10,700) to each of 23 Russian activists, who include human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov and the leader of the Left Front opposition movement, Sergei Udaltsov.

The activists had filed the lawsuits against Russia saying that between 2009 and 2012 local authorities in different ways impeded at least 28 of their public gatherings and marches.

The court found that the activists' right to hold public gatherings were violated and that they were not provided with means to defend themselves in a legal way.

It also ruled that the rights of three of the activists to have fair court hearings were violated.