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03/05/2021

Published by Anastasia Zakharova at 03/05/2021

Searching for balance: freedom of expression and the use of criminal measures to combat COVID-19 misinformation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has become an important problem that threatens the health and even lives of people. But where is the line to be drawn between the fight against the spread of disinformation and the attack on free speech?

31/03/2021

Published by Yana Stepaniuk at 31/03/2021

All in the Same Boat?

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of prisoners, disabled people, and refugees At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring […]

22/02/2021

Published by Anna Laletina at 22/02/2021

One Year After Mietendeckel: How Berlin Rent Cap Works

A year ago, Berlin passed the Mietendeckel, "a rent cap law". How does it work today and what do city residents and landlords think about it?

11/01/2021

Published by Simon Cosgrove at 11/01/2021

Brexit: implications for human rights in the UK

How are Brexit and human rights related? Simon Cosgrove, the Chair of the Trustees of "Rights in Russia", in his column reflects on how Britain's exit from the EU has impacted the present and future of human rights.

22/12/2020

Published by Rasa Puzinaite at 22/12/2020

Repaying Historical Dues: Here Is Your European Passport

Today, a number of European states allow the descendants of people who fled their home countries in the 30-40s of the 20th century, or even in the 15th century, to restore their lost European citizenship. How do these legal initiatives work in practice? Can they remedy the injustices of the past?

23/11/2020

Published by Julia Saberova at 23/11/2020

Echoes of Stalin’s “Great Terror.” How the descendants of repression continue to fight for their rights

Massive political repression in the USSR peaked in the late 1930s, but the descendants of the repressed are still fighting to restore the honest name of their ancestors and are trying to return home from their places of exile, to where their families were expelled decades ago.

09/11/2020

Published by Viktoria Berezyuk at 09/11/2020

National Sovereignty or International Law? The Russian Constitution Has the Last Word

On January 2020, President Putin called for amending the Russian Constitution to establish its precedence over supranational judicial bodies, meaning, primarily, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Interestingly, this was not a new idea: Russian legal experts who for many years have been suggesting such an amendment to the Constitution had referred to German precedent.

09/10/2020

Published by Anna Wójcik at 09/10/2020

Memory Laws in Russia and Other Restrictions on Freedom of Expression

Under the European Convention on Human Rights, states must guarantee free and open debates about the past. Yet, with the rise of memory laws, the right to free expression has been endangered.

16/09/2020

Published by Mateusz Bajek at 16/09/2020

Is the Impossible Possible? International Monitoring of Regional and Local Elections in the Russian Federation

In August 2019, several international organisations received a request to send observers to monitor elections in Moscow and St. Petersburg. But the attempt to involve international observers in these elections ended in failure: international observation of the nationwide single voting day on 8 September, 2019, was not implemented.

28/08/2020

Published by Theresa Bender-Säbelkampf at 28/08/2020

The Case of the Khachaturyan Sisters: A Turning Point in Russian Domestic Violence Law?

Russia still has no domestic violence legislation. Will the case of the Khachaturian sisters, three girls who have been subjected to abuse by their father for many years, become a turning point in the adoption of such a law?

23/07/2020

Published by Leonid Abgadzhava at 23/07/2020

Extradition from the EU to Russia as a Pretext

What is the future of Russian citizens extradited from EU countries to their homeland? According to the European Convention on Human Rights and European human rights case law, a country attempting to extradite an accused person must assess the risks that the person may face. But do the European courts assess these risks correctly?

24/06/2020

Published by Asylgul Kanatbekova at 24/06/2020

The Economics of Migration: Russian Experience

Migration in today's world is a complex phenomenon that can have both positive and negative impact: a smart and flexible migration policy can help countries strengthen their social, economic and political ties and open up new sources of capital and investment. In contrast, an irrational and excessively restrictive migration policy can cause imbalances in the labour market and income inequalities between immigrants and local residents, potentially leading to high levels of social tension.

12/03/2020

Published by Legal Dialogue at 12/03/2020

Russia passes bill allowing Putin to stay in power past 2024

The Russian parliament has approved a significant constitutional reform that would, among other things, allow Vladimir Putin to run for president for two more terms after 2024 by resetting the number of terms that he has already completed. The Constitutional Court will review the reform before a national vote on the proposed amendments on April 22.

Source: Associated Press

12/03/2020

Published by Legal Dialogue at 12/03/2020

Turkey prepares human rights case over Greece’s treatment of migrants

Turkey announced last week that it is preparing a case about Greece’s treatment of migrants to bring before the European Court of Human Rights. On February 28, Turkey opened its frontiers, allowing refugees and migrants to travel towards Europe. Many of them have since been trying to enter Greece.

Source: Reuters

12/03/2020

Published by Legal Dialogue at 12/03/2020

Germany refuses to extradite Pole under European arrest warrant due to fair trial fears

For the first time in German history, a court has refused to extradite a Polish suspect to his home country because of doubts as to the future of the independence of the Polish judiciary and the guarantee of the right to a fair trial. These doubts have been spurred by the divisive law signed by Polish president Andrzej Duda last month. It allows judges to be punished for questioning and criticising the national judicial system.

Source: Euronews

12/03/2020

Published by Legal Dialogue at 12/03/2020

Women’s rights organisations fear eviction in Rome

Two women’s rights organisations in Rome, ‘La Casa Internazionale delle Donne’ (the International House of Women) and a shelter named ‘Lucha y Siesta’ are worried that they could soon be evicted. Activists in Italy’s capital accuse mayor Virginia Raggi of not taking enough actions to protect women.

Source: Euronews

19/11/2016

Published by Alexander Peredruk at 19/11/2016

Conscripts Allowed to Photograph Their Files

On 31 August 2016, St. Petersburg City Court upheld a district court’s judgement in the case of Artyom Efimov against the Military Commissariat, a […]

19/11/2016

Published by Pascal Detzler at 19/11/2016

How is Healthcare for Asylum Seekers Regulated in the EU and in Russia?

The (fundamental) right to health and healthcare applies to all human beings equally and is codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article […]

19/11/2016

Published by Daria Litvinova at 19/11/2016

Polish Parliament Backtracks on Abortion Ban Amid Mass Protests

A legislative initiative1Draft of the bill on the website of Ordo Iuris conservative organization: http://www.ordoiuris.pl/pliki/dokumenty/stop_aborcji_2016.pdf introduced to the Polish Parliament by several pro-life organisations2Conservative advocacy […]

24/11/2016

Published by Anastasia Chukovskaya at 24/11/2016

Márta Pardavi: ‘The Government has no Appetite to Listen to Us’

In an interview for the Legal Dialogue, Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, talks about the shrinking civil space in Hungary as […]

24/11/2016

Published by Legal Dialogue at 24/11/2016

International Cooperation of Legal Clinics and NGOs

Together with with Russia’s Centre for the Development of Legal Clinics, the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum (CSF) organised an international round table devoted to […]

24/11/2016

Published by Anton Kudryakov at 24/11/2016

Private Life: International and National Legal Standards

Conclusions from the VIII Urals International School of Human Rights The right to respect for private and family life was discussed by the VIII […]

24/11/2016

Published by Legal Dialogue at 24/11/2016

International Symposium “Domestic Law in a Global Upswing? The Strained Relationship between International and Domestic Law”

The international Symposium “Domestic Law in a Global Upswing? The Strained Relationship between International and Domestic Law” was held on 30-31 May 2016 in […]

24/11/2016

Published by Maxim Dranzhevsky at 24/11/2016

Diversity of Legal Clinics Can Improve Access to Legal Aid

No longer just a trend, legal clinics are now perceived as an essential part of the educational process in law schools; in addition, legal […]

24/11/2016

Published by Birgit Laubach at 24/11/2016

Subsidiary Protection instead of Full Refugee Status Complicates Family Reunification

The legal requirements of the Second Asylum Seekers Package came into force in Germany on 17 March 2016. This legislation brought with it serious […]