About me

Welcome to my online office!

My introduction to the European Court of Human Rights began in the early 2000s during my studies at Duke Law School’s Institute of Transnational Law at the University of Geneva. After returning to Russia, where I had obtained my law degree in the 1990s, I received my doctoral degree in law in 2002 and subsequently carried out research and taught European Convention law at my alma mater. I also worked as a staff attorney for the American Bar Association’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI), and then became a deputy coordinator of the US Department of State’s Regional Initiative. After completing legal training at Rutgers University in the United States, I returned to Russia and, for several years, headed an NGO called the Center for Clinical Legal Education and Human Rights Protection. From 2004 onwards, we actively worked with the European Court of Human Rights.

Since the early 2010s, I have been providing online legal services from my office, registered in St. Petersburg. Over this time, I have had the pleasure of working with clients from various European countries and around the world on more than 1,200 cases, and have offered consultations on several thousand matters related to the European Court of Human Rights. In recent years, I have expanded my practice to include cases against various States, individual communications (complaints) to UN committees, and requests to the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files.

Below are some examples of my work with the Court.

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Kirillova case

By judgment of 19 September 2016, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions on account of the authorities having reclaimed her flat. Following proceedings before the Court, the flat was returned to the applicant.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Kostyuchenko case

By judgment of 9 July 2019, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s right to a fair trial in her challenge to the termination of her judicial office.

Application
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Nigmatullin case

By judgment of 4 February 2020, the Court found that the applicant had been subjected to torture by the police and awarded him €39,700 in compensation.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Singla case

By judgment of 19 May 2020, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s right to respect for private and family life, as his stay in Russia was declared undesirable.

Application
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Bulgakov case

By judgment of 23 June 2020, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s freedom of expression, resulting from the blocking of access to his entire website on the basis of a single prohibited item (later removed). Access was never restored. The respondent Government’s written observations in this case can be found here.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Laptev case

By judgment of 9 February 2021, the Court found a violation of the right to life of the applicant’s brother, who died in custody, and a failure to conduct an effective investigation. I prepared the applicant’s written observations, which were signed and submitted by the applicant’s representative.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Gavrilova and Others case

By judgment of 16 March 2021, the Court found a violation of the applicants’ right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions, as the authorities had reclaimed their land plots. The judgment is available in French only; the Court’s press release is available in English.

Application
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Lazutkin case

By judgment of 4 February 2020, the Court found a violation of the rights of the applicant, who is a lawyer, in connection with searches of his home and office conducted under a law that lacked procedural safeguards to protect professional secrecy.

Application
(in Russian)

Gyrlian case

By judgment of 9 January 2019, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions following the confiscation of undeclared US$90,000, the lawful origin of which was known.

Application
(in Russian)

Maleyev case

By decision of 4 December 2019, the Court struck the case out of the list because, after communication of the application to the respondent Government, they acknowledged a violation of the applicant’s rights regarding his conditions of detention and offered him €7,000 in compensation.

Application
(in Russian)

Lashun case

By judgment of 7 December 2021, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s presumption of innocence.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Skvortsov case

By decision of 7 October 2014, the Court struck the case out of the list, as the respondent Government, following communication of the application, acknowledged a violation of the applicant’s rights due to his excessive and unjustified detention, and offered him €7,000 in compensation.

Application
(in Russian)
(prepared using the pre-2014 application form)

Reikhert case

By decision of 22 February 2022, the Court struck the case out of the list on the ground that a new remedy had been created in Russia which the applicant could have used, even though it was introduced after she had lodged her application.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in English)

Neznakhin case

By judgment of 6 April 2023, the Court found a violation of the applicant’s freedom of peaceful assembly, as he was treated as a participant in a march, declared illegal, in support of a journalist.

Application
(in Russian)

Nikolaev case

This case concerns the prolonged non-enforcement of a court judgment in the applicant’s favour. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 28 January 2019.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Sablina case

This case concerns the prolonged failure of the authorities to assist in the enforcement of a court judgment in the applicant’s favour. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 23 February 2018.

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Safonov case

This case concerns a violation of the right to a fair trial, due to the use of the applicant’s statements against him, obtained without offering him the assistance of a defence lawyer and without informing him of his right to remain silent. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 30 November 2020.

Application
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in English)

Claims for just satisfaction
(in Russian)

Claims for just satisfaction
(in English)

Kuznetsov case

This case concerns a violation of the right to a fair trial, due to the use of the applicant’s statements against him, obtained without giving him the opportunity to have legal counsel. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 30 November 2020.

Application
(in Russian)

Applicant’s written observations
(in Russian)

Stupko case

This case concerns a violation of the applicant’s right to peaceful enjoyment of his possessions, following the quashing of a final judgment in his favour through acceptance of a repeated appeal lodged out of time by the opposing party with the President of the Supreme Court, without reference to any fundamental violations. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 28 September 2018.

Application
(in Russian)

Aleksandrov case

This case concerns a violation of the right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions, by imposing the burden of responsibility on the applicant, as a real-estate purchaser, for errors made by the authorities in recording inaccurate data in the real-estate register and in allowing multiple transactions involving that property before he acquired it. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 4 October 2021.

Application
(in Russian)

“Volya” political party case

This case concerns violations arising from the de facto inability to defend itself against accusations of extremism, which resulted in the party’s dissolution. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 21 October 2021.

Application
(in Russian)

Sivtsev case

This case concerns a violation of the principle of legal certainty caused by the unforeseeable reopening of the limitation period after the Russian authorities adopted a law “on the admission of the Republic of Crimea into the Russian Federation,” enabling them to bring a claim against the applicant. This led to a judgment depriving him of his property. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 15 December 2021.

Application
(in Russian)

Menshikov case

This case concerns a violation of the applicant’s rights when he was placed in a metal cage in the courtroom. The Court communicated the application to the respondent Government on 2 March 2023.

Application
(in Russian)