Legislation Proposed to Insulate Russia from Strasbourg Court Rulings

The Constitutional Law Committee of Russia's lower parliamentary chamber (the State Duma), has proposed legislation to limit the enforcement of decisions by the European Court of Human Rights against Russia. Under the bill, initiated by Alexander Torshin, acting speaker of the upper house (the Federation Council), if the Strasbourg court rules that the application of a Russian law violates international human rights law, the ruling will not be grounds for reopening proceedings in a Russian court if the law itself is consistent with Russia's Constitution, while Russia's Constitutional Court will have the final say on whether a law per se violates international norms. The bill, which was recommended to the Duma for consideration in a first reading on July 1, has been criticized by Russia's representative in the European Court, Judge Anatolii Kovler, as an attempt to avoid Russia's international obligations.

http://www.clj.ru/news/65583.html