After interference of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia the rights of a Bashkortostan resident to fair court hearing was restored.

Mr Sh. was found guilty of an administrative offence, i.e. drunk driving. By decision of court authorities of the Bashkortostan Republic the accused person was imposed a fine in the amount of RUB 30 thousand (almost USD 500) and deprived of the driving license for a period of one and a half years.

Having considered the complaint of Mr Sh., the High Commissioner petitioned the Supreme Court of Russia to have the legitimacy of the administrative punishment inspected.

According to the documents submitted by the complainant, at the moment of the offence he was in another region of Russia. This fact was not taken into consideration by court when rendering the judgement.

The Supreme Court of Russia agreed with the High Commissioner’s arguments and paid attention to the fact that according to the signature examination report, signatures of Mr Sh. at the administrative report and other documents were forged. As a result, the court judgements were reversed and the court procedures terminated.