Guilty without trial

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Judge of the Constitutional Court Anatoly Kononov lost his seat in the highest judicial body - the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.

Not the least role, as they say, was played by his interview with Sobesednik. This is a normal interview. Not seditious, not calling for anything and not particularly criticizing anyone. Anatoly Kononov said that our judicial system is not perfect, judges are not independent, and Putin and Medvedev are not always right in all their decisions. Who doesn't know this?

The judge didn’t say anything rabid or unforgivably bold. But, apparently, those at the top thought differently. Kononov was not forgiven for washing his dirty laundry in public.

What is most interesting: Our Constitutional Court examines matters of state structure. And this is a public thing. It can, and I’m not afraid of this word – it needs to be discussed. There is no investigative secret or state secret here that lower courts can hide behind. Everything here should be simple and transparent. But it’s unlikely to happen anymore.

They say that the outspoken judge was asked to write a statement of his own free will - his powers were valid until 2017. And on the sidelines they explained how it usually happens when it is difficult to accuse a person of something real - “violation of ethics.” Only by this, more and more often, we understand “conspiracy of silence”, “approval” and “violation of accepted rules of games”.

The one who violates is eliminated. But the rules remain.