Women’s Rights and the Russian Constitution by Marianna Muravyeva

Verfassungsblog has organised a discussion the state of Russian Constitution after 30 years of its existence. Professor Muravyeva has contributed with the analysis of the human rights of women and the failure of the constitutional law to effectively protect them.

Since the beginning of Russia’ aggression against Ukraine, the government’s rhetoric has become more conservative and nationalistic. In 2022-2023, Russia witnessed the introduction of a slew of oppressive legislation directly violating human rights. Against the backdrop of Putin’s focus on the fight against the ‘enemies’ and Russia’s isolation due to ‘fighting for the right cause’ women once again became the target of regulation with a steady and consistent assault on their human rights, particularly reproductive rights. Moreover, as women actively participate in anti-war protests, the authorities have been treating women more harshly during arrest, trial and sentencing as various reports show. Nevertheless, women continue to fight for their rights and freedoms in courts and on the streets, hoping for change.

Read more here: https://verfassungsblog.de/womens-rights-and-the-russian-constitution/

Check other contributions here as well: https://verfassungsblog.de/category/debates/the-legal-tools-of-authoritarianism-the-russian-constitution-at-30/ 

The Foundations of Russian Law – New Foundational Text

The Foundations of RUssian Law book edited by Professor Muravyeva is finally out!

This accessible text explains how Russian law works in all its principal areas. It elucidates the main concepts and frameworks behind Russian law, and uses original legal sources and case law to explain how it operates in practice. The contributors, all of whom are leading experts on Russian law, employ original research to further knowledge of the Russian legal profession, legal culture, judiciary and court systems, providing a scholarly and practical account of Russian law for students and scholars alike. It is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the subject.

Preview the Table of Contents here.

Law in the Time of ‘Emergency’

Development of Russian Law blog at the University of Helsinki invites submissions for the blog series titled Law in the Time of ‘Emergency’. The series would provide an overview of the debates on how the law in various contexts does, and could, relate to current global developments which have seen an increase in right-wing political movements, as well as the currently provoked state of exception by the ongoing pandemic. We invite a broad variety of contributions, ranging from more conceptual overviews of the impact of climate change on human and non-human migration, declarations of emergencies and derogation from the 1951 Refugee Convention, Constitutional Changes, emergencies and pandemics, and other specific policies, cases, and doctrinal discussions.

Here are some of the suggested topics:

Emergencies and contemporary governance
Gender and sexuality in the state of emergency
State of Exception in 2020
Constitutional Change (e.g. Russia) and elections
Climate change and global governance
Border restrictions, old and new
Human Rights and Humanitarian Crises
Arbitrary deprivation of life in the context of mixed migration
Anthropocene and agency (animal rights, non-human agency, rights of nature, pandemic, etc.)

If you are interested to contribute, get in touch as soon as you have an idea. It is an open call for contributions.

For submissions, please contact Dr. Elena Cirkovic (elena.cirkovic@helsinki.fi) or Prof. Marianna Muravyeva (marianna.muravyeva@helsinki.fi).