MOSCOW, April 12 (RAPSI) – The State Duma has ratified the protocol №. 15, introducing changes to the European Convention on Human Rights and modifying the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

New changes indicate that the court has a subsidiary role in relation to national courts and that governments have certain freedoms when it comes to implementation of the Convention on a national level.

Jurisdiction of ECHR gets limited to overseeing national states’ compliance with the obligations imposed by the Convention. According to the protocol, ECHR has no right to substitute national authorities when it comes to interpretation and application of domestic law. Thus, the control mechanism created in accordance with the Convention should not be considered as a court of fourth instance or function as a court of appeals.

Other amendments include:

- cancellation of the rule on termination of the ECHR judges’ powers when they reach the age of 70;

- removal of state’s right to appeal against transfer of ECHR jurisdiction to the court’s Grand Chamber;

- a period for filing an appeal with ECHR is reduced from six to four months.

Protocol No. 15 was signed on behalf of the Russian Federation in Strasbourg on September 19, 2016.