Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe will not release it from responsibility for crimes – CrimeaSOS

On 15 March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov notified the Secretary General of the Council of Europe of Russia’s withdrawal from the CoE. A reason outlined in an official letter to the Secretary General is “unprecedented sanctions pressure” on Russia and its citizens. A photo of this letter was published in one of Russian media.

Besides, Russian diplomats notified of the denunciation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the refusal to pay annual membership fee to the CoE.

‘All responsibility for the breakup of dialogue with the Council of Europe lies on NATO countries which always used human rights issue to fullfill their geopolitical interests and assault on cour country. Given unprecedented political and sanctions pressure on our country, Russia does not plan to pay annual fee to this organization’, Russian State Duma Vice-Speaker and Head of the Russian Delegation in the PACE Pyotr Tolstoy wrote in Telegram. 

Though Russia notifies the Secretary General of its withdrawal from the CoE, in accordance with Art. 7 of the CoE Statute, the country will formally leave the organization only on 1 January, 2023.

‘With regard to Russia’s intention to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights, its denunciation becomes effective after the expiry of half-year after the official notification of the Secretary General, says Ievgenii Iaroshenko’, analyst of CrimeaSOS. ‘All individual and inter-state complaints filed to the European Court of Human Rights against Russia until its official withdrawal from the Convention will continue being under consideration. Therefore, the Russian Federation will be held responsible for systemic human rights violations which it committed on the territory of Ukraine, Georgia and own country’.

Ievgenii reminds that Russia is steadily on the first place in a number of individual complaints filed to the European Court of Human Rights – at least 10,000. Russia is also a leader among respondent states in a number of inter-state complaints, the majority of whic were filed by Ukraine.In addition, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, despite Kremlin’s attempts to avoid responsibility, adopted a decision to expel Russia from the CoE and to called on the CoE member states to strengthen the protection of Ukraine’s air space. On 16 March, the Committee of the Council of Europe put an end to Russia’s membership in the organization.