Putin signs law allowing Russia to overturn rulings of international rights courts
Source: Reuters
World | Tue Dec 15, 2015 10:51am EST
Putin signs law allowing Russia to overturn rulings of international rights courts
MOSCOW
President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing Russia's Constitutional Court to decide whether or not to implement rulings of international human rights courts.
The law, published on Tuesday on the government website, enables the Russian court to overturn decisions of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if it deems them unconstitutional.
Human Rights Watch has said the law is designed to thwart the ability of victims of human rights violations in Russia to find justice through international bodies.
The law comes after the ECHR ruled in 2014 that Russia must pay a 1.9 billion euro ($2.09 billion) award to shareholders of the defunct Yukos oil company, a verdict that added to financial pressure on Moscow as it struggles with shrinking revenues due to tumbling oil prices and Western sanctions.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-court-putin-idUSKBN0TY17H20151215