Russia

Over the past century alone, Russia has lived through great achievements and deepest misery; mass heroism and mass crime; over-blown ambition and near-hopeless despair – always emerging with its sovereignty and its fiercely independent spirit intact. In this book, leading Russia scholar Dmitri Trenin accompanies readers on Russia’s rollercoaster journey from revolution to post-war devastation, perestroika to Putin’s stabilization of post-Communist Russia. Explaining the causes and the meaning of the numerous twists and turns in contemporary Russian history, he offers a vivid insider’s view of a country through one of its most trying and often tragic periods. Today, he cautions, Russia stands at a turning point – politically, economically and socially – its situation strikingly reminiscent of the Russian Empire in its final years. For the Russian Federation to avoid a similar demise, it must learn the lessons of its own history. This chapter analyses how Russian courts have approached principles and standards of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) since its ratification by Russia in 2012. Given the monist features of the Russian legal system, the Convention has been used in a relatively large number of judgments. In the majority of cases the CRPD has been used only to reinforce the standards already provided by domestic laws. In a few cases, however, judges interpreted the Convention provisions to establish new legal concepts or to apply progressively Russian laws concerning human rights of people with disabilities. The chapter provides a critical insight into different ways of interpreting (or failing to interpret) CRPD provisions used by Russian courts and it concludes that the impact of the CRPD on case law has so far been limited despite its implementation in the Russian legal system. "In this book, leading Russia scholar Dmitri Trenin accompanies readers on Russia's rollercoaster journey from revolution to post-war devastation, perestroika to Putin's stabilization of post-communist Russia."--Provided by publisher