ECI Guest Lecture The Guardian or the Enemy? Russia`s Approach

ECI Guest Lecture
The Guardian or the Enemy? Russia’s Approach to International Law and Human
Rights Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
by Maria Issaeva
Time: 7 December, 15.15-17
Venue: PIV Suomen Laki, Porthania (Yliopistonkatu 3)
The stance taken by Russia to position itself as the primary ‘guardian’ of international
law has caused more than a few eyebrows to raise among international lawyers and
general public, especially in light of the recent actions of Russia at the international
level. The presentation will discuss the Russian perception of international law which
has most recently been manifested in the cases of Georgia (2008), Ukraine (2014) and
the Russian military involvement in the Syrian conflict (2015), as well as in the Russian
domestic policy towards human rights since 2011. In drawing a general picture, the
presentation will focus on the following main topics: Russia’s approach to sovereignty,
international law-making and decisions of international courts and tribunals; teaching of
public international law and human rights at Russian law schools and general
understanding of the profession of an international lawyer in Russia; and failures and
successes in implementing the European human rights standards in Russia within the
framework of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Bio
Maria Issaeva is a partner of Threefold Legal Advisors LLC, a law firm based in
Moscow which focuses on issues of public international law and international human
rights litigation. Maria advises on a broad range of subjects pertaining to the European
Convention on Human Rights and other issues concerning public international law. She
represents clients before the European Court of Human Rights and national courts.
Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights
P.O. Box 4 (Yliopistonkatu 3), FI-00014 University of Helsinki
Telephone: +358 (0)29 4123140, Mobile: +358 (0) 50 57 62 948
www.helsinki.fi/eci