The State Duma denounced the Council of Europe convention on the protection of the rights of national minorities

State Duma deputies at a plenary meeting on October 10 denounced the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe (CoE) on the protection of the rights of national minorities. The law was initiated by President Vladimir Putin on September 29.

The reason for the denunciation, as reported in the explanatory note to the law, was the discriminatory attitude towards the Russian Federation within the framework of the adopted convention. The document clarifies that the resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe dated September 27, 2022 significantly limited the powers of the Russian expert in the Advisory Committee created to monitor the implementation by states of their responsibilities to protect national minorities.

“In addition, the Russian Federation has lost, within the framework of this monitoring mechanism, the opportunity to participate in the development of decisions on issues of interest and to monitor at the international level cases of violation of the rights of national minorities, primarily the Russian-speaking population abroad,” the explanatory note says.

The document also notes that “termination of participation in this international treaty will avoid discriminatory treatment of the Russian Federation within the framework of this monitoring mechanism of the Council of Europe and will not harm the observance of the rights of national minorities.”

Russia signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Rights of National Minorities on February 28, 1996 in Strasbourg. It contains general goals and principles for the protection of national minorities from discrimination, namely guidance on: promoting the preservation of culture, religion, language and traditions; providing freedom of expression; participation of national minorities in economic, cultural and social life; freedoms regarding language and education; prohibition of forced assimilation, etc.

Let us recall that on March 16, 2022, Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe, stating that after leaving the organization, 21 international treaties that were ratified after joining the Council of Europe ceased to apply. Among them, for example, is the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and in February 2023, Russia also denounced the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and Treaties.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Europe is not a decree against Russian corruption”.

Arseny Pushkin