Week-ending 17 January 2020
Rachel Denber, Deputy Director, Europe and Central Asia Division: ‘The only “innovation” regarding their international human rights obligations that Russian authorities should pursue is to repeal the 2015 law and uphold international human rights standards.’
Source:
Why Legal ‘Innovation’ Might be Bad News for Rights in Russia
Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans for constitutional reform that, among other things, seem to clear a path for him to remain in power – albeit not as president – after his term expires in 2024. But the reforms have implications beyond Putin’s political future. Some, like me, are pondering the impact on the rights of millions of Russians if Putin’s call “to directly guarantee the priority of the Russian Constitution in our legal framework” becomes law. This is the third time in four years that Russia’s authorities have pushed for the primacy of Russian law over international law. In July 2015, Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled that judgments of the European Court of Human Rights cannot be implemented if they contradict Russia’s constitution. Human Rights Watch, 16 January 2020
