President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing Russia's Constitutional Court to overturn any rulings international human rights courts may impose upon the country if it deems them unconstitutional. Under the new law, which was approved by parliament last week and signed by Putin on Monday, the Russian court will look into every ruling of any intergovernmental body based on an international treaty and determine whether it aligns with the Russian Constitution, according to RT.
Upon doing so, the court can decide to either, in part or in full, ban or allow its execution in Russia. This development comes after the Russian Constitutional Court declared that it had the right, but not the obligation to implement decisions by the European Court of Human Rights which are contradictory to its constitution.
Human Rights Watch took note of the newly signed law, saying it's aimed at hindering the ability of people to gain justice through international bodies for human rights violations they may have suffered in Russia, according to Reuters.
In addition, the law is seen as a direct response to Russia losing several high-profile cases brought against it in international courts. One such case was in 2014 when the ECHR ruled that Russia must pay $2.09 billion to shareholders of the now nonfunctional Yukos oil company.
As far as human rights go, Russia has an abysmal record with the ECHR, reported The Washington Post. It reports receiving 218 complaints against Russia in 2014, and finding 122 instances of the country violating the European Convention on Human Rights. For example, the country deported Georgian citizens in 2006 and the incarceration of defendants in metal cages during Russian court hearings.
