MOSCOW, January 31 (RAPSI) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Russia to pay €18,000 in damages to three Russian nationals who complained about their confinement in metal cages in courtrooms during criminal proceedings against them, according to the ruling posted on the court's website on Tuesday.

Two complaints were filed with the Strasbourg Court in October and December 2014, the third application was lodged in January 2015. ECHR has consolidated the complaints.

The applicants, Ruslan Vorontsov, Alexander Susarin and Yevgeny Belyayev, insisted that Russian authorities had violated Article 3 (prohibition of torture) of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The Court ruled that Russia is to pay €3,000 to Vorontsov, €7,500 to Susarin and €7,500 to Belyayev in respect of non-pecuniary damage.

Interestingly, ECHR has already considered similar complaints. In 2012, the Court granted an application filed by two Russian citizens, Alexander Svinarenko and Valentin Slyadnev, who believed that their placement in a metal cage during court proceedings violated their fundamental rights.

Russian authorities insisted, among other matters, that confinement in cages in courtrooms is an ordinary safety measure.

However, ECHR sided with the applicants and ordered Russia to pay €15,000 in compensation to Svinarenko and Slyadnev.