The State Duma approved amendments to cancel the Council of Europe notification on martial law

State Duma deputies approved in the first reading amendments on the cancellation of informing the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) about military and emergency situations in Russia.

A bill to include changes to Art. 37 “On the State of Emergency” and Art. 22 “On martial law” was introduced in August by the country’s President Vladimir Putin. These articles provide for Russia to inform the UN and CoE secretaries-general within three days about Russia’s deviations from its obligations under international treaties related to the restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens when a state of emergency or martial law is introduced. Russia was also obliged to inform about the cancellation of these measures.

The obligation to notify the Secretary General of the Council of Europe was related to the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of November 4, 1950, which, as well as other international treaties of the Council of Europe, was terminated by Russia last year. The explanatory note explains the need to adopt this bill by withdrawing from the convention.

As a result, the only rule that remains is to inform the UN Secretary General about the introduction of a state of martial law and a state of emergency in Russia. Such an obligation is contained in Part 3 of Art. 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, from which Russia did not withdraw, lawyers previously explained to Vedomosti.

“The Council of Europe has outlived its usefulness; it has begun to slow down the development of other countries. All his decisions are politicized and taken under the dictation of Washington, which does everything to weaken European states and creates tension between them,” noted formerly Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.

In 2022, on February 25, the Council of Europe decided to limit Russia’s rights in the organization due to a special military operation in Ukraine, then the Committee of Ministers decided to immediately expel Russia. In March, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Council of Europe and began the corresponding procedure. Currently, martial law is in effect in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. It was introduced by presidential decree on October 9, 2022.