Venice Commission criticizes Russian law abolishing the primacy of International Law

Venice Commission has criticized the law passed in Russia, allowing not implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and other international courts. The statement and recommendations adopted by the CoE experts are posted on the official website of the organization.
The statement reads “(…) Empowering the Russian Constitutional Court to declare international decisions, including judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, as “unenforceable” is incompatible with Russia’s international legal obligations.”

According to the statement “ the inability of the Constitutional Court to remove contradictions between the Constitution and international decisions does not absolve the state from its obligation to enforce international decisions.”

“The Russian Federation should have recourse to dialogue, instead of resorting to unilateral measures,” the Venice Commission stressed.

To remind, in December 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that abolishes international law over national priority. The document provided the Constitutional Court of Russia the right to determine whether or not to interstate verdicts to protect the rights and freedoms of human organs, especially the ECHR handed down a complaint against Russia.