Cover Page The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/81993 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation. Author: Antonov, M.V. Title: Formalism, realism and conservatism in Russian Law Issue Date: 2019-12-18 Formalism, Realism and Conservatism in Russian Law FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb I 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb IIII 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 Formalism, Realism and Conservatism in Russian Law PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op woensdag 18 december 2019 klokke 15.00 uur door Mikhail Valerievich Antonov geboren te Sint Petersburg, Rusland in 1973 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb IIIIII 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 Promotores: prof. dr. W.B. Simons Promotiecommissie: prof. dr. K. Hendley (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) prof. dr. R.A. Lawson prof. dr. K. Malfliet (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium) dr. J. Oversloot prof. dr. E. van der Zweerde (Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen) Lay-out: AlphaZet prepress, Bodegraven Printwerk: Ipskamp Printing © 2019 Mikhail Valerievich Antonov Behoudens de in of krachtens de Auteurswet van 1912 gestelde uitzonderingen mag niets uit deze uitgave worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opna- men of enig andere manier, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de auteur. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm or any other means without written permission of the author. FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb IVIV 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 Table of Contents Aknowledgements VII List of Abbreviations IX Introduction 1 1 Background of the Study 1 2 Outline of the Research 9 3 Research Questions, Research Subject and Scope of the Study 15 1 Formalism and Decisionism in Soviet and Russian Jurisprudence 19 Foreword 19 Introduction 20 1 Methodology 24 2 Historical Development 28 3 The Anti-formalist Element in Soviet Law 32 4 A Dual System of Law? 37 5 Legality, Decisionism and Formalism 40 6 Actual Implications 44 Conclusion 48 2 The Philosophy behind Human Rights: Valerii Zorkin vs. the West? 51 Foreword 51 Introduction 52 1 The Problem of Russian Exceptionality and Legal Education 55 2 Russia’s Accession to the ECtHR: A Step toward Modernization? 63 3 Valerii Zorkin’s Rejoinder to Disproportionate Westernization 68 4 Valerii Zorkin’s Legal Philosophy 71 Conclusion 83 3 Conservatism in Russia and Sovereignty in Human Rights 85 Foreword 85 Introduction 86 1 Russian Law Faces a Choice: International Principles or National Sovereignty 90 2 European Human-Rights Law from the Perspective of Russian Courts 95 3 The Nature of International Law in the Light of the Russian Constitution and Its Interpretations 100 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb V 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 VI Table of Contents 4 The Philosophical Background of Discussions on Sovereign Democracy 105 5 The Roots of Exceptionalism in Russian Social Philosophy 114 Conclusion 118 4 Religion, Sexual Minorities, and the Rule of Law in Russia: Mutual Challenges 125 Foreword 125 Introduction 126 1 Contestation of Rights through Religion 130 2 Traditional Values versus Posited Legal Rules in Court 132 3 The Statutory-Law Framework 136 4 The Constitutional-Law Framework 139 5 Case Law of the RF Constitutional Court 141 6 Case Law of the Courts of General Jurisdiction 147 7 Russia and Europe: A Discordant Dialogue 150 Conclusion 154 5 Religious Beliefs and the Limits of Their Accommodation in Russia: Some Landmark Cases from the Russian Supreme Court 157 Foreword 157 Introduction 158 1 Constitutional Ambiguity 160 2 Methodology 164 3 The Russian Supreme Court on Religious Freedoms: A Selective Analysis 170 Conclusion 176 6 Concluding Chapter 179 Samenvatting (Dutch summary) 207 Curriculum Vitae 209 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb VIVI 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 Aknowledgements I would like to thank my Leiden supervisor, Professor William Simons, for his patience and guidance while I engaged in the research for this work. During the course of several years, he helped to foster an atmosphere which encouraged my engagement with the topic of the dissertation. I am con- vinced that our constant back-and-forth interactions greatly improved the quality of this manuscript. Also, I would like to thank my colleagues from Tartu University (Estonia)—especially Professor Lauri Mälksoo. Their sup- port and the collegial atmosphere which characterized my time as a Research Fellow at this University—when I started working at the topic of this disser- tation in the period 2013-2016—have been invaluable. Sincere thanks also go to Professor William Pomeranz. He offered me friendly guidance during my 2016 research scholarship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington, DC) and, more recently, also generously gave of his time to read a preliminary version of this thesis and share with me his insightful comments. I have sought to take account of all the remarks given me throughout my work on this thesis by all who kindly have read it but, nevertheless, realize that I may not always have succeeded in doing so fully. Furthermore, any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the author; not of those who kindly helped to steer me along the way. The agreement of Brill Academic Publishers, Cambridge University Press, and ISORECEA, for me to use my articles—first issued in their publi- cations—in the present dissertation (in revised form) is something which I sincerely appreciate. To my colleagues from my home university—the Higher School of Economics (Russia)—I offer my heartfelt thanks for their generous help, manifest in numerous ways, in finalizing my work; particu- larly to the dean of the Law Faculty, Professor Anton Ilyin. FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb VIIVII 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb VIIIVIII 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 List of Abbreviations CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States CPSU: Communist Party of the Soviet Union ECHR: European Convention on Human Rights ECtHR: European Court of Human Rights EU: European Union Foreign Agents Registration Act (22 U.S.C., §§611-621; FARA)—1938 US FARA Levada Center: Yuri Levada Analytical Center NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization NKVD: People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs PACE: Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe PEGIDA: Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident RF CAO: Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation RF Constitutional Court: Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation RF Supreme Court: Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ROC: Russian Orthodox Church RSFSR: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic SZRF: Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation UN: United Nations Venice Commission: European Commission for Democracy through Law WTO: World Trade Organization *** All translations from Russian and other languages into English are made by the author unless otherwise indicated. The author followed the rules of transliteration of Russian names set forth by the American Library Association and the Library of Congress except the cases when there are other generally accepted versions of transliteration. FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb IXIX 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 FFormalism,ormalism, RRealismealism andand Conservatism.indbConservatism.indb X 110-10-190-10-19 114:534:53 Introduction 1 Background of the Study The present volume deals with some particular features of Russian legal culture that are connected with the intellectual context in which legal norms are created, interpreted and applied. Russian law mostly uses the same conceptual apparatus as in Western legal systems. Historically taken from the West (mainly from German and French law), foreign legal concepts invariably become intertwined in a specific Russian intellectual context. In a new normative context, they have been adapted to the native legal culture in which respect to rights is lower than in the Western legal tradition and where legal validity is understood on the base of prerogative power. In the 20th century, a distinct legal theory—based on a specific combination of legal formalism and decisionism—was molded in Soviet law. This theory, inherited by Russian jurisprudence from the Soviet past, continues to shape the mind-sets of Russian lawyers and to nourish ideological narratives. Although in the last century, the rule-of-law, human rights and other West- ern legal concepts have been adopted into Russian law, they underwent a profound reconceptualization in terms of this theory. This has led to their “metamorphosis”: their interpretation and application often yielding differ- ent results—to a greater or lesser degree—as compared with the meaning of these concepts in the original (Western) legal culture. There can be many explanations for these differences; from institutional or semantic distinc- tions