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28 June 2007
Issue: 7279 / Categories: Features , Human rights
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Human rights update

Conditions in detention >>
Religious intolerance >>
Discrimination and widow’s benefits >>
Family rights: competing private and public interests >>

Conditions in detention

The applicant in Benediktov v Russia (Application No 106/02) complained that he had been detained in prison cells in Moscow, which failed to meet the minimum standards demanded by the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention). On one occasion, his cell provided less than one square metre of personal space, and a shortage of beds required inmates to share sleeping facilities. He also complained about bed bugs, lice and a lack of fresh air and light due to windows being blocked with thick metal bars. It was extremely cold in winter and hot, stuffy and damp in summer. Similarly, the applicant in Andrev Frolov v Russia (Application No 205/02) complained that he had been held in 11 different cells over a period of four years—each measuring eight square metres which usually accommodated up to 14 inmates who all used the same lavatory pan.

Dignity & detainees

The Russian government could not provide information to refute either of these claims, or provide a

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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