Deniss Hanovs was attacked in early November 2021 as he and his partner were walking along the Kengarags market in the evening. Two aggressive men started calling Hanovs and his partner names, hit Hanovs on the back, made remarks of a sexual nature, and tried to assault him, but the victim took refuge in a flower stall. During the investigation of the incident, one of the assailants, whom the police managed to identify, admitted that his actions were motivated by his dislike of homosexual people and that he wanted to ensure that they did not show their sexual orientation anymore.
The police did not find any serious wrongdoing in the attack on Professor Hanovs.
The victim appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Court delivered its judgment in July this year, finding a violation of the rights guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
