In the case of Gadzhiyev and Gostev v. Russia the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to freedom of expression in respect of both applicants.

The case concerned disciplinary measures taken against the applicants, resulting in the dismissal of the applicants for having publicly raised matters of general interest.

The Court noted that the first applicant had made allegations about acts of corruption which were jeopardising the effectiveness and security of police operations, matters which were clearly of great interest to society as a whole. It also noted that the second applicant’s allegations concerned the safety of the Metro and had been of interest to a large group of people. In both cases, the Court found that the interference with the applicants’ freedom of expression had not been “necessary in a democratic society”.

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