Russia and the Council of Europe

RUDOLF BINDIG has a long standing record in German politics as a member of the Bundestag for the SPD party (1976-2005). He was spokesman on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid for the SPD Group from 1983 to 2005.FERDINAND JM FELDBRUGGE Professor Emeritus of the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. ANDERS FOGELKLOU Professor of East European Studies at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. JEFFREY KAHN Assistant Professor at the Dedman School of Law of Southern Methodist University, Texas, USA. ANATOLY KOVLER is the Russian Judge at the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe.ROEMER LEMAÎTRE is Legal Director of Russian Justice Initiative.AUDE MERLIN Professor at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium.

• Introduction: Russia's Membership in the Council of Europe, Ten Years After; K.Malfliet & S.Parmentier PART I: A VIEW FROM WITHIN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE Russia's Accession to the Council of Europe and the Fulfillment of its Obligations and Commitments; R.Bindig Democratic Reforms in Russia: The Role of the Monitoring Process of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; L.Van Den Brande PART II: THE INFLUENCE OF RUSSIA'S MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ON LEGAL REFORMS IN RUSSIA Russia and the Rule of Law; F.Feldbrugge The Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on Russian Legislation and Judicial Practice; A.Kovler Russian Legal Reforms and the Council of Europe: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back; A.Fogelklou Adversarial Principles and the Case File in Russian Criminal Procedure; J.Kahn PART III: IS RUSSIA HONOURING ITS MEMBERSHIP OBLIGATIONS TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE? Gambling, Misunderstanding or Compromising? The Council of Europe and the War in Chechnya; A.Merlin Can the European Court of Human Rights Provide Justice for Victims of Russian Human Rights Abuses in Chechnya?; R.Lemaitre Conclusion: Future Perspectives; K.Malfliet & S.Parmentier