Duma approves law on non-enforcement of ECHR judgements
The Russian State Duma approves legislation relating to the non-enforcement of ECHR judgements
07.06.2022
This legislation will allow Russian courts not to comply with any rulings made by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that came into effect after 15 March, the date of Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe.
The first two Bills passed by MPs during second and third readings have been published in the library of the lower house of parliament.
Under the legislation:
- Russian courts will not comply with any ECHR judgements issued after 15 March;
- Compensation payments under ECHR rulings that came into force before 15 March will only be made in roubles into Russian bank accounts;
- Payments cannot be made into the accounts of foreign credit institutions based in countries that are hostile to Russia;
- Decisions made by Russian courts will have primacy over those adopted by the ECHR.
On 16 March, the Committee of Minsters decided to terminate Russia’s membership of the Council of Europe. As of 28 February, 18,000 complaints against Russia were pending at the ECHR.
Notice was given in early June of Russian plans to create a body equivalent to that of the ECHR whose development will be discussed by a working group to be set up by the Russian Bar Association by the end of this month. The court will be set up with BRICS (an association of countries consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the CIS and Eurasian Economic Union.
