Authors
Denis Shedov1; 1 Human Rights Media Project OVD-Info, Russian Federation Discussion
For many years, the ECtHR was almost the only court that could be expected to give a more or less fair analysis of a number of human rights cases from Russia. In Russia, such cases are often called "political cases”. For example, there are thousands of cases on freedom of assembly, restriction of freedom of expression, torture, illegal deprivation of liberty, etc. As the authoritarian regime intensified and the domestic judiciary deteriorated, a growing number of cases became "political”. In recent years, such cases have included domestic violence, disproportionate invasion of privacy, etc. Since the beginning of the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression in Ukraine, the human rights situation inside Russia has also worsened. At the same time, the only available means of international legal protection are the UN mechanisms: the Human Rights Committee and several treaty bodies. Neither of these mechanisms is a court, and their operating principles differ significantly from those of the ECtHR. In addition, the Russian national legal system still needs to elaborate on the implementation of decisions and recommendations of UN bodies. Not to mention the fact that the Russian authorities demonstrate a consistent disregard for their international obligations. In the current situation, it is vital for lawyers to rethink their experience and "reinvent" justice for victims of human rights violations in Russia. Denis Shedov, lawyer and human rights activist cooperating with OVD-Info and Memorial, will share his view on this issue.
Bio: Denis Shedov is an analyst at the Human Rights media project OVD-Info and a board member of the Human Rights Defence Centre “Memorial”. OVD-Info and Memorial have jointly submitted several thousand applications to the ECtHR, accounting for a significant portion of all cases against Russia. Currently, Denis participates in the research project “Human Rights in Eastern Europe and Russia (HuRiEE)”, UCL SSEES. He is also working on a doctoral thesis at the University of Helsinki. 
