TOP LEGAL EVENTS OF THE LAST WEEK
04/05/2023, 11:00
Russia openly adheres to an ideology that rejects the priority of international law over domestic law. It also questions the institutions of human rights and freedoms, emphasising them as something foreign and hostile aimed at violating its sovereignty. The deportation of residents of annexed territories and the arrests of political dissidents are justified by the need to preserve national security. Russia is effectively waging war against civil society using targeted laws to restrict freedom of speech, association, and assembly to suppress dissent.
Putin allows the deportation of residents of annexed territories. Residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine who refuse to accept Russian citizenship will be considered foreigners, according to a decree signed by Vladimir Putin. If the Russian authorities consider such people a threat to national security, they will be deported from the country.
Russia continues to fall in press freedom rankings. The international organization, "Reporters Without Borders", has published its annual press freedom ranking. In 2023, Russia ranked 164th out of 180 countries. North Korea still ranks last at 180th place. China, Vietnam, Iran, Turkmenistan, Syria, and Eritrea are ahead of the ranking.
The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to pay €129 million to Georgian citizens. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Russia to pay more than €129 million in compensation to Georgia for violations and losses suffered by its citizens due to the Russian invasion in 2008.
China voted for a UN resolution naming Russia as an aggressor. China has voted for a UN General Assembly resolution that names Russia as an aggressor for the first time, although it previously abstained or voted against such resolutions. Five countries - Russia, Belarus, Nicaragua, Syria, and North Korea - voted against the resolution. One hundred twenty-two countries voted in favour, and 18 abstained.
