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#22 - JRL 2008-37 - JRL Home
Russians Complain To European Court Increasingly More Often - Ombudsman

MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin has said the number of Russians filing complaints with the European Court of Human Rights has been increasing from year to year. Speaking at the Federation Council on Wednesday during debates on a report on the condition of law and order in Russia, Lukin said the European Court received 200 complaints from Russians in 2007 and ruled upon their consideration that Russia had to pay its citizens a total of 2 million euro in compensation for violation of their rights.

"Most complaints to the European Court concern red tape in courts and inhumane treatment of convicts," he said.

Faith in fair judicial proceedings in Russia is low, which is a result of "poorly stipulated rights of victims," Lukin said.

This situation produces the problem of so-called "fair mob law" supported by a certain category of Russians, Lukin said. "The victims' rights should be guaranteed from the very start," he said.

In analyzing reasons for people's complaints against the judicial and law enforcement systems, Lukin suggested that most of them are a result of flawed criminal law procedures.