( Interfax ) - Russia is witnessing positive trends in the protection of human rights, but a lot of problems remain, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg said.
The State Duma's refusal to ratify Protocol 14 was viewed at the Council of Europe as sabotage against the European Court of Human Rights, Hammarberg told Russian journalists in Strasbourg on Thursday.
Russia is the only country that has not ratified the document, and this holds back significant reforms of the European Court, he said.
In addition, while the Council of Europe values the fact that Russia has a moratorium on the death penalty in place, it still has not legally abolished it, Hammarberg said.