CIS needs its own court of human rights - Senator Torshin

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Interfax).  Alexander Torshin, first speaker of the Federation Council, has proposed the creation of a court of human rights for the CIS.

"The CIS has a large number of conventions, in particular, the conventions to prevent illegal migration and terrorism, and the conventions on human rights and freedoms adopted in 1995. That convention was ratified by Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. For this reason, we currently have the necessary legal foundations for the creation of a court of human rights in the CIS, and the need for the creation of such an institute is more than vital," Torshin told Interfax on Monday.

 The senator reiterated that Tajikistan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan are not participants in the European Court of Human Rights, unlike Russia. "Their citizens essentially have nowhere to turn to when their rights are violated," he said.

 Torshin said the creation of a court of human rights in the CIS is "a real initiative envisioning the responsibility of the state for human rights violations."

 "I am confident that we can make a court that will not be worse than the European Court of Human Rights because we see the experience of the functioning of the Strasbourg Court and can avoid their mistakes and the sharp angles that exist there," Torshin said.

 Torshin said the European Court of Human Rights is not a very accessible justice authority. "If a person from Russia or Ukraine wants to turn there, it will cost several thousand rubles at a minimum just to complete one application. Add the costs of translation and legal services. For this reason, taking your country to the European Court of Human Rights takes money, a lot of money," he said.

 In the meantime, the CIS has a universal space and the Russian language is universal for CIS citizens, he said. "This institution [court of human rights] will be an indication of accessible justice," the senator said.

 At the same time, he reiterated that this court will not replace the European Court of Human Rights, but "will just give people more choice between turning to the European Court of Human Rights and to the CIS court of human rights."

 Torshin believes the CIS court of human rights will have broader opportunities than the European Court of Human Rights.

 "The voice of the claimant, for example, is not heard in the European Court of Human Rights. We can ensure, using telecommunication systems, that claimants can participate in the trial in Russian, which is understandable to him and to the judges," the senator said.