The Kennan Institute and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation sponsored a one-day seminar on 3 May 2011 to explore the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the development of the rule of law in Russia.
The first panel focused on the Russia's decision to ratify the European Convention for Human Right (the "Convention") in 1998 and thereby subject itself to the rulings of the ECtHR. Joanna Evans, Senior Lawyer, European Human Rights Advocacy Center, began by describing the idealistic and ambitious origins of the Convention; the right of citizens to pursue individual petitions against their own state, she argued, was nothing short of revolutionary. Evans added that the Court now handles a wide variety of cases on the cutting edge of human rights, with significant impact both on legal and political developments in Europe. William Pomeranz, Deputy Director, Kennan Institute, noted that despite some initial skepticism about Russia's ability to abide by the Convention, the Council of Europe ultimately allowed Russia to join the organization. Since then, the ECtHR has become a major conduit by which international law flows into the Russian judicial system. Natalya Taubina, Director, Public Verdict Foundation, examined the important role that NGOs have played in bringing the Convention and the ECtHR to Russia. Although the Convention assigned no formal role to NGOs, Taubina nevertheless insisted that such groups have an important part to play, most notably, by highlighting the enforcement (or lack thereof) of ECtHR decisions. NGOs also engage in advocacy, primarily related to implementation of judgments, and further provide expert analysis and recommendations regarding important ECtHR cases.
