4.  At the material time all the applicants were detained in Russian penal facilities. 5.  While in detention, the applicants Mr Baban, Mr Barkov and Mr Bogatyrev sought compensation for inadequate conditions of their detention and substandard medical care; the applicants Mr Davydov, Mr Pflyaum and Mr Yakovlev were involved in contract disputes; Mr Fedchenko was the respondent in a divorce claim; Mr Starodubtsev challenged the decision by which he had lost the status of a disabled person; and Mr Shavayev was the defendant in an action for damages brought by the Federal Customs Service. 6.  None of the applicants, apart from Mr Yakovlev, were able to attend the hearings before the courts of first instance. The domestic courts refused the applicants leave to be present at the hearings, on the ground that there was no domestic legal provision for bringing detainees to courts. In some of the cases they quoted Article 77.1 of the Code on the Execution of Sentences (see paragraph 10 below) and the relevant provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure. In the other cases the issue of the applicants’ presence was left unaddressed. In the first-instance proceedings Mr Shavayev and Mr Starodubtsev were represented by their relatives. Mr Barkov and Mr Davydov were interviewed at courts located near the places of their detention. 7.  The applicants appealed, raising the question of their appearance in court in their appeal statements. Some submitted separate requests seeking leave to appear before the appeal court. The appeal courts either dismissed their arguments and endorsed the findings of the first-instance courts or concluded that their absence from court was in line with the legislation and did not contravene the principle of fairness. None of the applicants were present or represented at the appellate hearings. 8.  The dates of the final judgments are set out in Appendix I.