INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AGENCY

Russians to sue in ECHR

Last year the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation resolved that Russian public authorities can ignore ECHR’s decisions in case it considers them to fall into contradiction with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. BASHKIROVA and Partners independent research agency has conducted a national representative survey in terms of which we asked Russian citizens if they agree that Russians need to keep the right to reach out to international legal institutions.

  

Last year the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation (CC) adopted a resolution which allows public authorities not to execute certain judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which Russian CC considered impossible to execute without violation of Russian law and contravention of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

BASHKIROVA and Partners wondered of Russians’ attitude to the very possibility of petition to the ECHR.

More than two third (71%) of respondents speak for keeping such an opportunity, 18% of respondents oppose to it, and 11% are undecided.

Among all Russian territories the Far East Federal Districts is the leader by percentage of respondents who answered positively (82%), while the fewest number of such live in the Ural Federal District (60%) and North Caucasus.

An interesting fact is that although answers to this question are undependable from respondents’ income level, there is a high-grade correlation between respondents who answered positively and those who said their financial health worsened during 2015. It is fair to assume that these people feel insecure, that’s why they are not ready to sacrifice the institution which can help them in case our native court system and law enforcement fail.

People with higher education answer it is necessary to keep the possibility petition to ECHR 5% more than others, as well as respondents who share democratic view do 20% more that its principal opponents.

It is worth noting that only 20% of respondents are sure that the Russian Federation secures the right to a fair trial to its citizens, which almost equals to the percentage of those who are ready to waive ECFR’s service. 

 

 

The study was conducted in late December, 2015 on national random route sample of Russian citizens (18+) by means of face-to-face interviews in place of residence. 1500 respondents in 8 federal districts, 150 settlements, 200 sampling points have been surveyed. Sampling error ± 2.5% by C.I. of 95%.  

 

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