Centre de la protection internationale is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit human rights international organization registered in Strasbourg, France since June 13, 2006. The Centre has affiliated organizations in Armenia and Ukraine, as well as partner organizations in many Council of Europe countries, including Russia.

The mission of the organization is to help advance:

  • the development of democratic institutions and the improvement of the judicial and legal systems in the post-Soviet space – the Russian Federation and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States;
  • the integration of these countries into the European and world systems of international public law;
  • the use of international mechanisms for the protection of human rights, including the European Court of Human Rights; and
  • the dissemination of knowledge and experience of such use.

Our goal, and the measure of our success, in pursuing our mission is the implementation by the authorities of these states of necessary measures to reform their legal, judicial, penal, and law enforcement systems and their administrative practices.

The main activities of the Centre include:

  • providing legal aid to victims of human rights violations in applying to international human rights institutions (e.g. European Court of Human Rights, UN Human Rights Committee, etc.) and their representation before national and international courts;
  • research on legal issues that are of vital importance for the development of the rule of law and protection of human rights;
  • promotion of general public awareness of mechanisms and methods/techniques of human rights and freedoms protection;
  • assistance to NGOs and human rights defenders/lawyers;
  • mentoring of junior human rights lawyers.

The Center has won nearly 500 cases before the European Court of Human Rights, as well as many complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee. Hundreds of other cases which the Centre has lodged with the European Court of Human Rights and UN Human Rights Committee are pending. The Centre submitted dozens of communications to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning non-execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by respondent states. The Centre has trained more than 400 practicing lawyers from Council of Europe countries.