Russia withdraws from Council of Europe Convention for Protection of National Minorities

Russia withdrew from the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for the Protection of National Minorities on 1 August. 

Source: the official legal portal of the Russian Federation on Wednesday, 14 August, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Convention, signed in February 1995, establishes the basic principles for the treatment of national minorities in Europe, including the prohibition of their discrimination and forced assimilation and the freedom to practise one's religion and to speak freely in one's native language. 

Russia signed the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 1996. 

Background:

• In March 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to expel the Russian Federation from the organisation. 
• After that, the Russian authorities began to consistently withdraw from all treaties to which it had acceded within the Council of Europe. Moscow officially denounced the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in October 2023. 
• Despite the withdrawal from the Council of Europe, Russia is still obliged to comply with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights submitted before its withdrawal. Moscow, however, said it would ignore them.

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