On February 1st, Karinna Moskalenko, Director of the International Protection Center, and Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, discussed the state of civil rights in today’s Russia with special focus on the Russian judiciary. The event was moderated by Susan Glasser, Executive Editor of Foreign Policy.

Susan Glasser opened with a statement from one of Ms. Moskalenko’s most famous clients, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in 2003 and has brought his case into multiple courts, including the European Court. Ms. Moskalenko described how most of her clients, including Mr. Khodorkovsky, come to her when their cases become hopeless. With a conviction rate of over 99% in the Russian courts, Ms. Moskalenko said that the majority of cases in Russia are hopeless. However, lawyers representing a handful of the 30,000 cases before the European Court have been finding some small successes. Coupled with recent Russian compliance with rulings from Strasburg, Ms. Moskalenko is hoping that the strategy of bringing high-profile Russian cases to outside courts will help to limit the number of convictions inside the country.

Michael Posner agreed that the state of the Russian judicial system is in particularly bad shape. However, he focused on the new diplomatic strategies being undertaken by the Obama administration under the guidance of Secretary Hilary Clinton. Mr. Posner emphasized two points: first, the need for a single, universal standard of human rights as an important tool in dialogues between the United States and other countries; second, the importance of empowering those working from within nations for greater civil rights and engagement. While the new diplomatic strategies need to be clear, Ms. Posner said, the U.S. also must remain aware that relations with countries like Russia are immensely complicated and should be treated with care.