NB! FEATURED TOPIC: THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIA’ ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION Vitaly A. Portnov: The of the Council of Europe, sent a date when the European letter confirming that I had been Convention for the Protection elected for a 9-year term up to of Human Rights and 2004 inclusive (in those days Fundamental Freedoms judges of the Court were elected became legally effective in for a 9-year term). However, the territory of Russia (5 these figures turned out to be May 1998) is approaching. illusory. The Protocol No. 11 Vladimir Aleksandrovich, to the Convention arrived, and you were the first judge on the in the end of October 1998 the European Court of Human letter was received, this time Rights who was elected in it was signed by three Council respect of Russia. Please of Europe officials, by the share with our readers about Chairman of the Committee your work as the judge on the of Ministers of the Council of Court. Europe, the President of PACE and the Secretary General of the Vladimir A. Toumanov: Council of Europe (same letters I shall tell the story were received other judges as approximately in the THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF well). The letter advised that the following way. powers of the then Court had I shall tell a few words RUSSIA’ ACCESSION expired. The Protocol No. 11 to about myself. Then first how the Convention has set the age the work of the Court was TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION limit of the judicial tenure, and it organised, then I shall tell turned out so that the new Court about the composition of the FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN retained less than a half of the old Court and finally I shall tell composition, and accordingly about the nature of cases that RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL more than a half of the previous were dominant in the caseload composition has left the Court (in at that time. FREEDOMS: passing I should note that it was All of it will give a picture twice that I was affected by the of how former Court differs age limit of the judicial tenure, from the current Court. A CONVERSATION OF and this is a rare occurrence When I retired from the indeed: first time it happened in Constitutional Court of THE JOURNAL’S EDITORINCHIEF the Constitutional Court of the Russia and I was proposed to Russian Federation, and then it go to Strasbourg to sit on the WITH MR VLADIMIR A. TOUMANOV happened in the European Court European Court as a judge, I of Human Rights). True, the had no more or less detailed judges on the Strasbourg Court notion about this Court in before the 1998 reform were Strasbourg, in particular, I did not suppose that – as it turned overgrown, however, perhaps, it was the Court’s strength. out – even before the ratification of the Convention by a State Parting with the Court was a hard thing for some judges it is entitled to have its judge on the European Court of Human who worked with the Court for a long time, as the case was Rights. It turned out to be possible, and the vivid example is with French judge Louis-Edmond Pettiti. He was quite a an eminent French jurist, human rights champion, associate faithful judge. He always worked until late at night in his of Charles de Gaulle, Mr René Cassin; for some time he was office. During the farewell ceremony at the Council of Vice President of the Court while France has not yet ratified Europe, having noticed that Mr Pettiti is taking the situation the Convention. Strasbourg even has its Rue René Cassin, but hard, I came up to him and asked: Monsieur Pettiti, pourquoi this is, as they say, obiter dictum. Nonetheless, I agreed to the vous êtes tellement triste? La vie continue. – Why are you so proposal. An appropriate submission went to Strasbourg, and sad? Life goes on. He replied: Parce que partir c’est toujours it should be noted that pretty soon, within a month, in October mourir un peu. – It is just because parting means a little 1997, I was elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the passing. He told that not only to me. In two weeks after his Council of Europe (PACE) as a judge in respect of Russia. return to Paris, he, leaving a taxicab, died of a heart attack. It On the submitted list of candidates in respect of Russia, there was quite mysterious. In the Court, they felt keenly about it. were two more candidates: Mr Tchernichenko, an eminent On the eve of the reform, there were 36 judges on the Court, expert in international law, who is still alive, and Mr Reshetov, and there were five more free vacancies. After I left, no one our former ambassador in Iceland, who previously worked at was elected to my post immediately. the Institute of State and Law and at the Ministry of Foreign The Court worked on a non-permanent basis. Every Affairs. The votes were divided. I got 55 votes out of all cast month a session was held, which lasted from one week to ballots, Mr Reshetov got 17 votes, and Mr Tchernichenko 11–12 days. During such period, all cases prepared for a got 9 votes. Mr Daniel Tarshis, then the Secretary General hearing were adjudicated. Afterwards, judges went home, Editor’s note. Mr Vladimir A. Toumanov is an eminent Russian scholar, statesman and world renown jurist; retired justice of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court, Ex-President of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court; he currently holds posts of the Chairman of the Presidential Council on Improvement of Administration of Justice, Advisor to the the Russian Federation Constitutional Court, a Titular Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law, he was the first judge on the European Court of Human Rights elected in respect of the Russian Federation; he has started his academic career in 1952 working with the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences since 1959; Doctor of Juridical Sciences (1969), Professor of Law (1971), Distinguished Scholar of the Russian Federation (1987), Titular Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law; President of the International Political Science Association founded under the auspices of UNESCO (1994 – 1998). Mr. Toumanov has authored fundamental academic works and multitudinous scholarly articles in the realm of jurisprudence, constitutional law and comparativewww.jpr-pechr.ru law. № 5 2008 №5 2008 75 NB! FEATURED TOPIC: THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIA’ ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION but they had «homework» to take home: each of them was the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and given several cases to study while at home and to prepare International Law (Heidelberg, Germany). I knew him very conclusions in three to four cases. Thus, it is impossible to well even before my joining the Court. The Institute of propose that judges worked during 10 to 12 days and then State and Law of our Academy of Sciences had academic they were taking their time, because preparation of two or contacts with the Max Planck Institute. Besides Mr Rudolf three cases was quite a complicated task, and judges had to Bernhardt, I would like to name a few more judges, who carry with them huge case-files. were playing active roles at the Court. This is, for instance, Plenary hearings of the Court en banc were held infrequently, Mr Luzius Wildhaber, who represented Switzerland and they touched upon mostly organisational matters. Where a who later became the first President of the reformed Court; particular case concerned issues of special significance, such Mme Elisabeth Palm, the only lady on the Court, the case was examined by the Grand Chamber, similar to the representative of Sweden, who previously was the President existing system now. of the Administrative Court of Appeal in Göteborg, she was However, Chambers, each composed of seven judges, rigorous and adamant as regarded protection of the rights examined most cases. Chambers were formed ad hoc from the of an individual; there were also experienced and quite general composition of the Court. There were no Sections. competent judges: Mr Carlo Russo, the representative of During a session the Court usually examined 10 to 12 Italy, former minister of the government and a lawyer of the cases, sometimes it examined 15 cases; some of them were Court of Cassation; Sir John Freeland of the United Kingdom, examined by the Grand Chamber. Lawyers of the Court former judge; Mr Franz Matscher of Austria, Professor of prepared judgments and decisions. I am not aware how the Salzburg University. As regards judges from the States things are done now, but in those days, lawyers of the Court of Central and Eastern Europe let me name Mr Volodymyr had the right to be present at the session of the Court. They Butkevych, a judge elected in respect of Ukraine, who was were preparing draft judgments and participated in the earlier the head of the international law department of the sessions, where committee of three judges was editing draft T.G. Shevchenko Kiev State University; Mr Dimitar Gotchev, judgments. formerly a judge on the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria; The way of discussion of some complex cases during Mr Pranas Kûris, the representative of Lithuania, formerly public hearings of the European Court, sitting as the Grand President of the Supreme Court of the Republic, and even Chamber, is of certain interest. President of the Court or judge earlier he was the Vice President of the Soviet Association of rapporteur read out the list of issues that seemed to be of International Law.