ECHR: Iron cages in court violate human rights
BRUSSELS. July 20 (Interfax) - The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that the practice of putting defendants in iron cages in courts is a violation of human rights, the court said in a press release.
The ruling was passed after hearings of a complaint filed by Russian citizens Alexander Svinarenko and Valentin Slyadnev, born in 1968 and 1970.
Grave criminal charges were brought against Svinarenko and Slyadnev in Russia in 2002 and 2003.
The charges against Svinarenko were subsequently dropped, while Slyadnev was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison.
Both filed a joint complaint with the ECHR in 2008 against their being held in iron cages in court.
The ECHR ruled that each of the complainants be paid 10,000 euros in damages, plus 2,000 and 4,000 euros, respectively, in compensation for the court expenses.
The ruling is binding and cannot be appealed.
