'Ruxit' as Russia leaves Council of Europe rights group over Ukraine invasion

Russia has ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe after over a quarter of a century of membership in the pan-European rights body.

Employees of the Council of Europe remove the Russian flag from the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg on 16 March. AP - Jean-Francois Badias

Moscow announced on Tuesday that it was quitting the council, ahead of the formal decision taken Wednesday by the body's committee of ministers to expel Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

In a highly symbolic moment, the flag of Russia was lowered and removed from its staff outside the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Wednesday afternoon.

The flags of the 46 remaining member states were kept flying.

The committee of ministers, the body's main decision-making organ, decided "the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership".

The Russian foreign ministry said it had "no regret" about leaving and claimed that EU and NATO member states had turned the organisation into an "instrument for anti-Russian policies".

The lowering of the Russian flag in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. No date has been set for its return. © Jean-Francois Badias/AP

'Deprived of human rights protection'

The so-called "Ruxit" from the Council of Europe means that Russia will no longer be a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, and its citizens will no longer be able to file applications to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The leaders of the Council of Europe, including Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric, said in a statement that Russian authorities were depriving "the Russian people of the benefit of the most advanced human rights protection system in the world". 

Nicolas Hervieu, a professor in EU law, described Russia's withdrawal from the ECHR as "a major event". Human rights complaints against Russia made up "close to a quarter of the total number of cases brought before the Strasbourg-based court", he said in a tweet.

Depuis longtemps, la #Russie est l'Etat le plus condamné chaque année pour violation de la #CEDH.

Et les requêtes contre la #Russie représentent près d'un quart (24,8 %) du total des requêtes devant la Cour de Strasbourg.

Sa sortie du @coe & de la #CEDH est un évènement majeur. pic.twitter.com/rXFXKyQ9GA

— Nicolas Hervieu (@N_Hervieu) March 15, 2022

Russia joined the Council of Europe on February 28, 1996.

It is only the second time in the history of the council that a member state has announced its exit, after Greece walked out temporarily in the late 1960s.

Russia was suspended from all its rights of representation on 25 February, the day after tens of thousands of Russian troops entered Ukraine. Only Russia and Armenia voted in favour, while the representatives of Serbia and Azerbaijan did not attend.

Not using the death penalty is a precondition of COE membership, and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy national security council chief, had evoked bringing back capital punishment if Russia left the body.

(with AFP)