Spokesperson Mikhail Barshchevsky notes that the Russian government refuses to recognize a ruling from the Court of Human Rights that the Russian government should compensate Yukos shareholders $1.9 billion, a verdict which contradicts the spirit of the Russian Constitution
Russia is a permanent member of the UN, and the Russian Constitution must be consistent with the spirit of the UN Charter and its two human rights conventions. In this case, however, the Russian Constitutional Court backs the executive branch – not surprising given the fact that the court’s judges are all appointed by the Russian President. Constitutional Court judges should be of many different nationalities and nominated by international human rights organizations. For details, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.
