Russia's Constitutional Court defies the European Court of Human Rights: Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation Judgment of 14 July 2015, No 21-П/2015

In this landmark judgment, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation redefined its relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. Moreover, one can say that the redefinition towards the European human rights protection system was undertaken by the entire Russian government, since in December 2015, the State Duma and the Federation Council, the two chambers of the Russian parliament, made amendments to the Federal Constitutional Law 'On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation' which subsequently gave a legislative foundation and concrete procedures to the approach envisaged in the 14 July 2015 judgment of the Constitutional Court. Thus, the judgment was not merely a solo action of the latter, but quickly received the backing of the legislature in Russia. Moreover, already in April 2016 the Constitutional Court delivered its first judgment using the new mechanism.