Russia is obliged to obey and act according to the decisions of the ECHR - even if it abandons the Council of Europe. Anna Yudkovska, the judge who represents Ukraine in the ECHR's line-up said this quoting the Kremlin's statements about possible withdrawal from the Council of Europe.
According to her, the rules that are applied to the Court's decisions in such cases are stipulated in the European Convention for Human Rights. Russia may denounce the Convention and withdraw from the Court's line-up but it still has to report on it six months before the exit.
'But even this step does not release the state from the obligation to live up by the ECHR decisions about the violations that occurred before the moment the state denounced the Convention, that is, abandons the Council of Europe', Yudkovska stated. 'Victims of the violations still can file complaints against Russia within the six-months-long period since Russia officially claimed to exit the Council of Europe. These appeals will be considered by the Court, and Russia will have to live up to these decisions. This, of course, also applies to the currently considered complaints, where there are no decisions made yet'.
Previously, Russian Parliamentary Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said Russia considers leaving the Council of Europe.
