The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation terminates membership in the Conference of European Constitutional Courts

The Constitutional Court of Russia (CC RF) found it impossible to further participate in the Conference of European Constitutional Courts (CECC) and announced its withdrawal from it on March 5, 2022. This is stated on the official website of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.

This decision was a response to the position of the KEKS itself, whose chairman raised the question of the admissibility of the membership of the Constitutional Court of Russia and the associated membership of the Constitutional Court of Belarus in this organization. The protocols for voting were sent to all participants of the Conference.

Earlier, several KEKS member courts proposed to terminate the membership of the RF Constitutional Court in the Conference “taking into account the fact that the Constitutional Court of Russia, in its decision of March 19, 2014, justified the annexation of Crimea (Russia denies accusations of annexation, stating that the peninsula was included in its composition on the basis of the will of the vast majority of Crimeans – “Rosbalt”)”.

The Constitutional Court indicates that it can exercise powers only within the procedural framework outlined by the Constitution, and, functioning in the system of separation of powers, is not entitled to act on its own initiative with any official decisions and maxims on the legality or illegality of acts and actions of other state bodies, and thus more to make political statements.

Earlier it was announced that Russia could lift the ban on the death penalty – a corresponding statement was made by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.