Yury Shutov
Encyclopedia
Yury Titovich Shutov is a Russia
n politician who is known for collecting incriminating evidence against Saint Petersburg
administration, including former Mayor Anatoly Sobchak
and his aide at this time Vladimir Putin
. Shutov was convicted to life in prison on criminal charges that have been allegedly fabricated to punish him for making public accusations of Putin.
, Mayor of Leningrad
. After being fired, he began collection of evidence about the financial misdeeds by the city administration. He also got a tape with a casual conversation of Sobchak with a French intelligence officer. Putin, who was an aide to Sobchak at this time, decided to intervene. An anti-organized crime unit illegally raided Shutov's apartment and took the tape. When Shutov discovered the "robbers" in his apartment, they broke his skull with a hammer.
materials on Sobchak, at the time when Putin worked as the KGB's overseer of Leningrad State University. Putin used this materials to blackmail
Sobchak and secure his own appointment in the city administration, according to Shutov.
and Galina Starovoitova
. Court found these charges to be unproven and politically motivated, and he was freed directly in the courtroom on November 16. Several minutes later, masked OMON
soldiers who arrived from Moscow, burst to the court room, took Shutov to an office in the same building, and severely beat him. He lost an eye and half of his hearing as a result.
on February 16, 2006, allegedly for organizing murders of businessmen (the charges of murdering Starovoitova were dropped).
(EHCR). Mr. Shutov alleges that sentencing him to lifetime imprisonment while he was not present in the courtroom amounts to inhuman treatment. He complains of "unlawful composition of the court in view of the lack of the lay judges' credentials and lack of grounds for their participation in the proceedings after abolition of the institution of lay judges in Russia; of lack of public hearing in view of the court proceedings in a remand prison". Mr. Shutov draws attention upon "unfair trial on account of their removal from the courtroom for the entire duration or part of the proceedings". He alleges that his absence from the courtroom was not remedied by the presence of his legal counsel as the court ignored or dismissed his requests, "pressured the counsel by applying for withdrawal of their license, stripped them of all electronic devices crucial for their work and effectively eliminated the possibility to consult with their clients by holding almost daily hearings". He complains under the same provision that the "trial court was biased, ignored his requests, and that the appeal court failed to duly consider his appeals".
Mr. Shutov complaints that "following his removal from the courtroom he was not aware of the charges against him, could not prepare his defence and could not examine the witnesses"; that "he could not defend himself in person because he was not present either at the trial or at the appeal hearing and that the court did not allow him to retain different legal counsels following termination of his contract with the previous ones". He also complains under Article 18 of ECHR that the real reason for his arrest was political persecution.
Shutov is currently serving his sentence in FGU OIK-2/2 in the Perm Region
where he is not provided with a wheelchair and has to move around by crawling.
Shutov presently complains to the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR Shutov vs.Russia Application No. 20922/08) of lack of adequate medical care throughout his detention and lack of a wheelchair in prison. He alleges that sentencing him to lifetime imprisonment while he was not present in the courtroom amounts to inhuman treatment.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n politician who is known for collecting incriminating evidence against Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
administration, including former Mayor Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak was a Russian politician, a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev....
and his aide at this time Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
. Shutov was convicted to life in prison on criminal charges that have been allegedly fabricated to punish him for making public accusations of Putin.
Conflict with city administration
In November 1990 he was an aide to Anatoly SobchakAnatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak was a Russian politician, a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev....
, Mayor of Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. After being fired, he began collection of evidence about the financial misdeeds by the city administration. He also got a tape with a casual conversation of Sobchak with a French intelligence officer. Putin, who was an aide to Sobchak at this time, decided to intervene. An anti-organized crime unit illegally raided Shutov's apartment and took the tape. When Shutov discovered the "robbers" in his apartment, they broke his skull with a hammer.
Arrest
On March 31, 1992, Shutov was arrested on fabricated charges of preparing an assassination of Azerbaijan's president Abulfaz Elchibey. He was released only in 1993 and found not guilty by a court in 1996.Accusing Putin after election to city parliament
On December 20, 1998 Shutov was elected deputy of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly. He alleged in an article that Putin get a file with compromising KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
materials on Sobchak, at the time when Putin worked as the KGB's overseer of Leningrad State University. Putin used this materials to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
Sobchak and secure his own appointment in the city administration, according to Shutov.
Abduction from the court room
On February 16, 1999, Shutov was stripped of parliamentary immunity and arrested on charges of murdering prominent Russian politicians Mikhail ManevichMikhail Manevich
Mikhail Manevich was a Russian economist and official of the Saint Petersburg City Administration.Manevich graduated from Leningrad Institute of Finance and Economics in 1983 and worked with the institute as a research fellow during the 1980s...
and Galina Starovoitova
Galina Starovoitova
Galina Vasilyevna Starovoitova was a Russian politician and ethnographer known for her work to protect ethnic minorities and promote democratic reforms in Russia.- Early life and academic career :...
. Court found these charges to be unproven and politically motivated, and he was freed directly in the courtroom on November 16. Several minutes later, masked OMON
OMON
OMOH is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet MVD...
soldiers who arrived from Moscow, burst to the court room, took Shutov to an office in the same building, and severely beat him. He lost an eye and half of his hearing as a result.
Conviction
Although the Russian Supreme Court ruled that detention of Shutov was illegal and he was reelected to the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly (a city parliament) in 2002, this "personal enemy of Putin" was shuttled during 7 years between different prisons, and finally sentenced to life imprisonmentLife imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
on February 16, 2006, allegedly for organizing murders of businessmen (the charges of murdering Starovoitova were dropped).
Complaints to ECHR
On September, 14 2010, an application No. 20922/08 has been communicated to the European Court of Human RightsEuropean Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
(EHCR). Mr. Shutov alleges that sentencing him to lifetime imprisonment while he was not present in the courtroom amounts to inhuman treatment. He complains of "unlawful composition of the court in view of the lack of the lay judges' credentials and lack of grounds for their participation in the proceedings after abolition of the institution of lay judges in Russia; of lack of public hearing in view of the court proceedings in a remand prison". Mr. Shutov draws attention upon "unfair trial on account of their removal from the courtroom for the entire duration or part of the proceedings". He alleges that his absence from the courtroom was not remedied by the presence of his legal counsel as the court ignored or dismissed his requests, "pressured the counsel by applying for withdrawal of their license, stripped them of all electronic devices crucial for their work and effectively eliminated the possibility to consult with their clients by holding almost daily hearings". He complains under the same provision that the "trial court was biased, ignored his requests, and that the appeal court failed to duly consider his appeals".
Mr. Shutov complaints that "following his removal from the courtroom he was not aware of the charges against him, could not prepare his defence and could not examine the witnesses"; that "he could not defend himself in person because he was not present either at the trial or at the appeal hearing and that the court did not allow him to retain different legal counsels following termination of his contract with the previous ones". He also complains under Article 18 of ECHR that the real reason for his arrest was political persecution.
Detention
On January 19, 2007, a medical commission ordered by the prison authorities concluded that the applicant's condition was of medium gravity and did not warrant his release from prison. However, on March 15, 2007 an independent medical commission studied the applicant's medical file and concluded that the State experts had not conducted an adequate medical examinationShutov is currently serving his sentence in FGU OIK-2/2 in the Perm Region
Perm Krai
Perm Krai is a federal subject of Russia that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The city of Perm became the administrative center of the new federal subject...
where he is not provided with a wheelchair and has to move around by crawling.
Shutov presently complains to the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
(ECHR Shutov vs.Russia Application No. 20922/08) of lack of adequate medical care throughout his detention and lack of a wheelchair in prison. He alleges that sentencing him to lifetime imprisonment while he was not present in the courtroom amounts to inhuman treatment.
External links
- A personal website of Yuri Shutov (in Russian)
- Biography of Yuri Shutov by Vladimir PribylovskyVladimir PribylovskyVladimir Valerianovich Pribylovsky is a Russian historian, journalist and human rights advocate opposed to current Russian authorities.-Biography:...
(in Russian) - List of Compliances to the European Court of Human Rights Communicated by Russia in September, 2010 (in Russian)