Strasbourg Court Will Rule on Moscow Judge
26 Feb 2009
The Moscow Times
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will issue a ruling on February 26 on a Moscow judge who was dismissed after publicly complaining about constant political pressure on the city's judiciary.
According to media reports, the court decided by a narrow margin to uphold Olga Kudeshkina's claim that her dismissal constituted a violation of the freedom of expression.
The Strasbourg court's decision was made by a narrow margin of 4-3 and only after a judge from Azerbaijan was replaced. The ECHR has frequently ruled against Russia in the past, including a decision last month to accept a complaint from former YUKOS managers.
As a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, Russia is obliged to accept the court's ruling.