SINITSYN A PERFILYEV proti Rusku

THIRD SECTION

DECISION

Applications nos. 52670/20 and 52673/20
Sergey Vyacheslavovich SINITSYN against Russia
and Andrey Vladimirovich PERFILYEV against Russia

The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 5 February 2026 as a Committee composed of:

Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, President,
Mateja Đurović,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above applications lodged on the various dates indicated in the appended table,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.

The applicants were represented by Mr D. Zakhvatov, a lawyer practising in Moscow.

The applicants’ complaints under Article 11 of the Convention concerning the disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies, as well as complaints under Articles 5 and 6 based on the same facts were communicated to the Russian Government (“the Government”).

THE LAW

1. Joinder of the applications

Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.

2. Complaints under Articles 5, 6 and 11 of the Convention

The Court notes that, in the present case, the applications were lodged more than six months after the final decisions in respect of the applicants’ grievances under Articles 5, 6 and 11 of the Convention were taken (see the appended table). It must therefore ascertain whether the applicants complied with the six-month rule set out in Article 35 § 1 of the Convention.

The Court further notes that, as regards applications introduced in 2020, the method of calculation of the six-month rule has been adjusted in order to handle the difficulties to which the global COVID-19 pandemic and widespread lockdown gave rise and to preserve the essence of the right of individual petition under Article 34 of the Convention. In particular, the six‑month rule was exceptionally considered to have been suspended for three calendar months in total, whenever a calendar six-month period either started to run or, on the contrary, was due to expire at any time between 16 March and 15 June 2020 (see Saakashvili v. Georgia (dec.), nos. 6232/20 and 22394/20, §§ 46-59, 1 March 2022).

Turning to the circumstances of the present cases, the Court observes that neither the dates of the introduction of the applications nor the dates of the expiration of the six-month time-limit fall within the above-mentioned period (16 March to 15 June 2020). The exceptional measure is therefore not applicable in the present cases (compare Kitanovska and Barbulovski v. North Macedonia, no. 53030/19, § 39-40, 9 May 2023; and Masse v. France (dec.), no. 47506/20, 25 March 2025).

It follows that the applications were lodged out of time and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides to join the applications;

Declares the applications inadmissible.

Done in English and notified in writing on 26 February 2026.

Viktoriya Maradudina Úna Ní Raifeartaigh
Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

List of applications raising complaints under Article 11 of the Convention

(disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies)