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ECHR awards minimum compensation over Russia’s ban on prisoners’ voting

The European Court awarded 9 applicants compensation for postage expenses amounting from 8 to 30 euros

MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has awarded minimum compensations in response to petitions filed by 24 individuals over a ban on prisoners’ voting in Russia, the press service of the Russian Justice Ministry reported.

The ministry confirmed that on July 4, the ECHR delivered a ruling in the Isakov v. Russia case, (filed by Isakov and 23 other plaintiffs) in which it acknowledged the existence of violations due to the fact that individuals serving out prison terms lack active suffrage. The decision was similar to the circumstances of the Anchugov and Gladkov v. Russia case entertained by the ECHR’s Grand Chamber.

The Russian Justice Ministry explained that "the decision was made under a simplified procedure and is not subject to appeal."

"Having considered the applicants’ claim for fair compensation, the European Court pointed out that the acknowledgement of violations is a sufficiently fair compensation and turned down their claims for compensation for moral damage," the ministry said in a statement. "Moreover, the European Court found the applicants’ request for reimbursement of funds spent on legal assistance while preparing and examining the case in the ECHR unfounded, since the complaint is not a complicated one and requires no legal assistance. The European Court eventually awarded 9 of the 24 applicants compensation for postage expenses amounting from 8 to 30 euros."

The Justice Ministry emphasized that media reports on the 30,000-euro damages for all the 24 applicants were not true.