THIRD SECTION
DECISION
Applications nos. 34245/16 and 34956/16
Igor Valentinovich SHARAPOV against Russia
and Aleksey Sergeyevich DOMNIKOV against Russia
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 2 June 2022 as a Committee composed of:
Darian Pavli, President,
Andreas Zünd,
Mikhail Lobov, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged on 2 June 2016,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The first applicant, Mr Igor Valentinovich Sharapov, was born in 1966. The second applicant, Mr Aleksey Sergeyevich Domnikov, was born in 1984.
Their complaints under Article 5 of the Convention concerning administrative arrest and under Articles 6, 10 and 11 of the Convention concerning the right to a fair hearing by an impartial tribunal, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly were communicated to the Russian Government (“the Government”), who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits. The observations were forwarded to the applicants. Their representative, Mr O. Beznisko, submitted observations in reply, together with the claims for just satisfaction.
In September 2020 the Court was informed of the representative’s death. On 11 September 2020 the Registry sent letters to the applicants requesting them to inform the Court of their current postal address for further correspondence. They were informed that since the procedure under Rule 54 § 2 (b) of the Rules of Court had been completed, there was no need to appoint a new representative, unless they so wished. No response followed. By letters dated 4 June 2021, sent by registered post, the applicants were notified that the period allowed for submission of the requested information had expired on 23 October 2020 and that no extension of time had been requested. Their attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application. The letters could not be delivered to the addressees, were stored at a local post office for them to collect them and were then returned to the Court.
THE LAW
Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications.
Accordingly, the cases should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 23 June 2022.
Viktoriya Maradudina Darian Pavli
Acting Deputy Registrar President