THIRD SECTION

DECISION

Application no. 46413/20
Aleksey Anatolyevich NAVALNYY
against Russia

The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 5 December 2024 as a Committee composed of:

 Diana Kovatcheva, President,
 Úna Ní Raifeartaigh,
 Mateja Đurović, judges,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above application lodged on 25 September 2020,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The applicant, Mr Aleksey Anatolyevich Navalnyy, was born in 1976. He was initially represented by Mr A. Golovach, a lawyer admitted to practice in Russia.

On 16 January 2024 the Court gave notice of the applicant’s complaints under Articles 6, 10 and 18 of the Convention concerning the defamation proceedings against the applicant and the alleged political motive behind them to the Russian Government ("the Government").

On 16 February 2024 Mr Navalnyy died while serving a nineteen-year sentence in a high-security prison in the Russian Arctic.

By letter dated 22 February 2024, sent through the Court’s Electronic Communications Service (eComms), the Court requested the representatives of late Mr Navalnyy in all of his pending cases to inform the court whether there was a next-of-kin wishing to pursue the proceedings in his stead.

On 8 March 2024 the Court received a letter from Mr A. Pomazuyev with a statement by Ms Yuliya Navalnaya, the spouse of late Mr Navalnyy. She expressed her wish to pursue the proceedings in relation to the present application and submitted a new authority form in respect of Mr Pomazuyev.

By letter dated 20 March 2024, sent through eComms, the Registry informed Mr Pomazuyev that the Government had not submitted their observations within the given time-limit. Mr Pomazuyev was invited to submit by 15 May 2024 any written observations, including those in respect of the questions put to the parties by the Court, together with the claims for just satisfaction on behalf of the late applicant’s heir. That letter has never been downloaded on the eComms platform by Mr Pomazuyev, although his account remains active.

By letter dated 22 May 2024, sent through eComms, Mr Pomazuyev was advised that the period allowed for submission of observations had expired on 15 May 2024 and that no request for an extension of time had been made. Mr Pomazuyev’s 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. That letter was not downloaded on the eComms platform by Mr Pomazuyev and no response has been received to date.

On 21 June 2024 the Court sent a copy of the strike-out warning letter to Ms Yuliya Navalnaya’s email address for information. No follow-up response was received.

THE LAW

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 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application.

Accordingly, the case should be struck out of the list.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases.

Done in English and notified in writing on 16 January 2025.

 Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Kovatcheva
 Acting Deputy Registrar President