President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Zorkin, good afternoon.
Take a seat, please.
First of all, I would like to congratulate you and all the members of the Constitutional Court on Constitution Day, which is just around the corner. As far as I know, most of the requests filed with the Constitutional Court have dealt with the constitutional status of individuals, followed by civil law, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, and all other matters related to defending the rights of citizens during administrative legal proceedings and all the related matters. There has been a lot of work for you, and a lot of responsibility too.
The Constitutional Court performs its noble mission of defending the rights and interests of the people, while also protecting the constitutional regime.
Thank you very much. Once again, congratulations on the upcoming Constitution Day.
President of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin: Mr President, I would also like to congratulate you on this important day we will be marking soon.
As usual, allow me [to present] our [collection of selected Constitutional Court rulings], just as we do every year. This is only part of our work, as summed up in brief rulings.
Vladimir Putin: I see. Thank you.
Valery Zorkin: However, we are now moving from paper to a fully digitised environment. Here, you have only a brief introduction, while the rest is on the thumb drive.
Vladimir Putin: I can see that too.
Valery Zorkin: This is the first time we have used this format. Previously, there were only printed versions.
Vladimir Putin: Please make sure to convey my best wishes and words of gratitude to all those who signed this.
Valery Zorkin: Thank you very much. They asked me to convey the same message to you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
Valery Zorkin: Of course, the Constitutional Court has a special place within the judiciary. After all, we are not just an ordinary judicial body for reviewing all the cases we examine. In fact, our mission consists of assessing laws and other regulations, including international treaties, in terms of their compliance with the Constitution.
We issue about 60 rulings on extremely challenging cases every year, more or less. In 3,500 cases, we did not recognise them as being unconstitutional, while still offering a way for interpreting these laws.
What does this mean? This means that we do not recognise them as being contrary to the Constitution. I believe that this indicates that the State Duma, despite all the complaints and criticism it has faced, adopts laws which are quite good, in my opinion.
Vladimir Putin: Good laws.
Valery Zorkin: Yes.
But we also decide that some rulings are incorrect. Therefore, I believe that the Constitutional Court holds a special place because, ultimately, it helps keep the Constitution above both laws and corresponding regulatory acts. I see this as a relatively stable pyramid that shows how the Constitutional principles and norms spread throughout all laws, regulatory acts and even the behaviour of our people and legal relations.
The task of the Constitutional Court is to prevent this pyramid from being changed or destroyed. This largely aligns us with the figure of such stature as the President of the Russian Federation, because you have an even greater responsibility as the guarantor of the Constitution. We, in turn, support this role by serving as guardians of the Constitution.
What else can I say? You have mentioned all the main issues the Constitutional Court has to address. In this connection, I would like to emphasise two major circumstances of our current situation, which the Constitutional Court is not just supposed to give consideration to but takes into account as a matter of fact.
The first, in chronological order, is that the Russian Federation has withdrawn from the European system of justice, including the European Court of Human Rights.
Incidentally, I believe this fact has been misinterpreted, because the Russian Federation has not been excluded, as they claim, but has withdrawn from it when it saw that it was being used against Russia.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, it has been heavily politicised.
Valery Zorkin: We were shocked by the degree of the European Court’s politicisation, especially in the last years before our withdrawal. It was appalling.
The second circumstance stems from the hostile posture of the West, which has placed the Russian Federation in a rather complex position. This situation, naturally, is reflected in certain rulings and decisions of the Constitutional Court concerning what is commonly referred to as “sanctions” – a term, in my view, invented by the West. After all, a true sanction presupposes a violation of some norm or rule. In this instance, however, it is they who have violated the rules. The imposition of measures that so flagrantly contravene international law constitutes nothing less than theft. It represents a dismantling, a fragmentation of the very framework that once ensured Russia’s integration within the international legal order. The Constitutional Court of Russia is guided first and foremost by the Constitution. I believe our Constitution is a living document, precisely because it is fully operative. And being operative, it explicitly enshrines Russia’s unwavering respect for international law – this is a principle emphasised in the Constitution itself, which forms the foundation of our constitutional order.
In practice, the Constitutional Court proceeds from the following premise: once international bodies have confirmed that an international treaty signed by the Russian Federation does not contravene our Constitution, they cannot then declare such treaties inapplicable within the Russian Federation. Why would they be? They cannot give such an interpretation, because Russia signs treaties only when they conform to the Constitution. We have seen numerous examples, at the European Court, for instance, where it was perplexing to observe lawyers essentially disregarding agreements their own institutions had once concluded with Russia.
You may ask why I raise this point – forgive me if I have spoken at length, Mr President. There were voices within our country claiming that our withdrawal from the European Court would be severely damaging, and so forth. In my opinion, nothing of the sort has occurred. I believe the protection of human rights and freedoms remains at the same level. If we examine the cases they actually reviewed, they were largely politicised in nature.
Vladimir Putin: They certainly were.
Valery Zorkin: Looking ahead, I am confident the Constitutional Court will continue to play a pivotal role within Russia itself – though I do not wish to imply we are perfect or universally praised. Ultimately, one must remember: when two sides battle in court, one side prevails and the other does not. What is crucial is that we remain firmly within the constitutional framework, upholding and preserving the Constitution. This is what I mean when I say it is alive: it is not a document sitting on a shelf gathering dust, but one that is actively in force and functioning.
Let me repeat what I mentioned at the outset: the judges asked me to convey their best wishes to you, expressing their hope that you have all you require to fulfil your role as the guarantor of the Constitution, and thereby of Russia itself. Existing outside its Constitution would be detrimental to our nation.
Vladimir Putin: The priority of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, our fundamental law, is unconditional. We will be guided by this principle both in our domestic affairs, through our domestic policy, and on the international stage. This is an absolute and unwavering commitment.
Thank you again for your work. My best wishes to all members of the Constitutional Court.
Valery Zorkin: Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
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