Senators and experts discussed the administration of international justice.
The Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting on the creation of a new international court as an alternative to the pro-Western judicial system.
Taking part in the event, which was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergei Kislyak, were deputy chairs of the committee Bair Zhamsuyev and Natalia Nikonorova, member of the Committee on Defence and Security Teimuraz Mamsurov, and representatives of the expert community.
Sergei Kislyak stated that international justice is facing unprecedented challenges. “The collective West is actively working to prevent international dispute settlement bodies composed of relatively unbiased arbiters into instruments of pressure on its political opponents, using various levers for this purpose.”
The senator noted that this policy is part of the general Western strategy to replace international law based on the sovereign equality of states with the so-called rules-based world order. This policy primarily targets Russia. In fact, the West is waging a full-scale “legal aggression” as part of the hybrid global confrontation with our country.
He pointed out that the escalation of judicial confrontation is fuelling the activities of the courts that have lost public trust, such as the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the creation of politically controlled quasi-judicial bodies that claim the right to administer justice. International judicial bodies, including the ICC, are increasingly often used for harassing domestic and foreign policy opponents. In addition to their open political bias, their activities are noted for clear disregard for the universal norms of international law, including the immunity of foreign officials.
According to Sergei Kislyak, international law and justice must be the instruments of ensuring justice, mutual respect and voluntary cooperation rather than the instruments of domination, discrimination, the suppression of countries by other states, groups and associations of states, or international organisations in violation of the UN Charter.
“Attempts to abuse universal jurisdiction are undermining mutual trust between the subjects of international law and international cooperation in the sphere of international criminal justice, Sergei Kislyak said.
Other issues on the agenda included the limits of trust for the existing international judicial platforms, the sufficiency of national justice in enforcing the principle of inevitability of punishment for crimes against humanity, and the improvement of international legal mechanisms of administering justice for crimes against humanity and hostile actions by Western countries, such as unilateral sanctions.