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Russia urges Council of Europe to focus on report over NGOs’ influence on ECHR

According to diplomats, the flaws listed in the report relate to purely technical moments, including lack of strict requirements for recusal of judges, connected to the NGOs that have interest in a case outcome, and lack of judging experience among some of the judges

Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. The Council of Europe member states should pay attention to the report by the European Center for Law and Justice non-governmental organization regarding the influence of the western non-governmental human rights organizations (NGOs) on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published Wednesday.

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According to the ministry, the flaws pointed out in the report initially appear to relate to purely technical moments, including lack of strict requirements for recusal of judges, connected to the NGOs that have interest in a case outcome, as well as lack of judging experience among some of the ECHR judges.

"However, these aspects directly affect quality, impartiality and justice of the court’s rulings," the Foreign Ministry said. "This report sparked our interest not least because Russia repeatedly called on the Council of Europe colleagues to pay attention to this practice of hidden and open influence of major western NGOs on the ECHR, outlined in this document."

"We believe that our colleagues from the Council of Europe and its member states should pay attention to this report, which might provide valuable food for thought in the context of the ongoing ECHR reform," the Foreign Ministry said. "Russia has always advocated for a strong, but non-politicized European Court."

The ministry expressed its hope that the proper consideration of the existing flaws in the ECHR activity during the reform "would allow to correct and eventually minimize political externalities in its practice."

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