On April 25, the Council of Europe Program Office in Russia organized a solemn reception on the 20th anniversary of the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights by the Russian Federation

During his speech, Deputy Chief of Staff of the High Commissioner’s Office read out the welcome speech of High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova:

Ladies and gentlemen!

On March 30, 1998, President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin signed Federal Law No. 54-FZ «On Ratification of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and Protocols to it." The Russian Federation carried out a large-scale work on the implementation of the norms of the Convention in its national legislation.

The Convention establishes the inalienable rights and freedoms of every person and obliges States that have ratified the Convention to guarantee these rights to everyone who is under their jurisdiction.

Accession and ratification of the Convention have become significant for Russia. In this way, Russia reaffirmed its commitment to the ideals and principles of humanism and democracy, as well as its desire to become a part of a single legal European space. The ratification of the Convention also increased the effectiveness of human rights protection and the use of new instruments in this field. There is an opportunity for Russian citizens to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which created conditions for Russian citizens to obtain additional legal protection of their rights and freedoms.

Having joined the Council of Europe in 1996, Russia undertook to establish the post of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. Pursuant to that, as well as the provisions of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Federal Constitutional Law No. 1-FKZ «On the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation» was adopted in 1997, and on May 22, 1998, the first High Commissioner was elected in Russia.

Thus, the High Commissioner’s Institution is a visible embodiment of the implementation of international and constitutional guarantees of human rights in Russian law and law enforcement practice that provides equivalent protection for the universally recognized human rights, including those enshrined in the UN Covenants and the main documents of the Council of Europe that are The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Social Charter.

Tatiana Moskalkova
High Commissioner for Human Rights
in the Russian Federation