MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Russians won’t be able to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after all procedures on Russia leaving the Council of Europe are concluded, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrey Klishas told TASS on Thursday.

"If Russia leaves the Council of Europe, and this is a certain procedure, then following its conclusion our citizens won’t be able to appeal to the ECHR," he said.

The senator urged the Russians to be more active in defending their rights at Russian courts, including the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. "Our citizens should be more active in appealing for the protection of their rights within the framework of national jurisdiction, including the Constitutional Court," he said.

The lawmaker added that the ECHR has always been a subsidiary institution, that is, an "additional agency" to protect one’s rights. He emphasized that he supported the statement by Russia’s Constitutional Court on exiting the Conference of European Constitutional Courts "due to the extreme politicization of the association’s activity."

On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a statement that Russia was not going to participate in the Council of Europe anymore because EU and NATO countries that are unfriendly to Russia continue the course towards the destruction of the organization and common humanitarian and legal space in Europe.