The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has decided to suspend consideration of all complaints against Russia after the country’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe. About this March 16 informed press service of the Strasbourg court.
“In accordance with the decision of the Committee of Ministers [Совета Европы] that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe from March 16, 2022, <...> the court decided to suspend consideration of all applications against the Russian Federation, ”the judicial body said in a statement.
It is noted that the court will not consider complaints against the Russian Federation “until considering the consequences of Russia’s withdrawal for the work of the court.”
Earlier Wednesday, representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted to expel Russia from the organization. 216 PACE deputies voted for the exclusion of the Russian Federation, three abstained. There were no votes against.
On March 15, State Duma deputy and head of the Russian delegation to PACE Petr Tolstoy said that the Russian Federation was leaving the CE of its own free will, calling this decision balanced and deliberate.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the country’s withdrawal from the CE would not affect the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens. The Russian Constitution establishes no less of their guarantees than the European Convention on Human Rights, the department emphasized. The Russian Foreign Ministry also explained that the implementation of already adopted judgments of the European Court of Human Rights will continue, “if they do not contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.”
The situation in Donbass escalated significantly in mid-February due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. The authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics announced the evacuation of residents to the Russian Federation, and also turned to Moscow for help. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the DNR and LNR, as well as treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.
Russia launched an operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass on February 24. As Peskov clarified then, the special operation has two goals – the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. According to him, both of these aspects pose a threat to the Russian state and people.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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