THE CONSTITUTION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (with the Amendments and Additions of December 30, 2008)
We, the multinational people of the Russian Federation,
united by a common fate in our land,
establishing human rights and freedoms, civil peace and accord,
preserving the historically established unity of the state,
proceeding from the universally recognised principles of equality and self-determination of peoples,
revering the memory of ancestors who have conveyed to us love and respect of the Fatherland, belief in good and justice,
reviving the sovereign statehood of Russia and asserting the firmness of its democratic basis,
striving to ensure the well-being and prosperity of Russia,
proceeding from the responsibility for our Fatherland before present and future generations,
recognising ourselves as part of the world community,
adopt the CONSTITUTION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
The First Section
Chapter 1. The Fundamentals of the Constitutional System
Article 1
1. The Russian Federation - Russia is a democratic federal law-governed State with a republican form of government.
2. The names "Russian Federation" and "Russia" shall be equal.
Article 2
Man, his rights and freedoms are the supreme value. The recognition, observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen are duties of the State.
Article 3
1. The bearer of sovereignty and the only source of power in the Russian Federation shall be its multinational people.
2. The people shall exercise their power directly, and also through the bodies of state power and local self-government.
3. The supreme direct expression of the power of the people shall be referenda and free elections.
4. No one may usurp power in the Russian Federation. Seizure of power or usurping state authority shall be prosecuted under federal law.
Article 4
1. The sovereignty of the Russian Federation shall cover the whole of its territory.
2. The Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal laws shall have supremacy in the whole territory of the Russian Federation.
3. The Russian Federation shall ensure the integrity and inviolability of its territory.
Article 5
1. The Russian Federation consists of republics, territories, regions, cities of federal importance, an autonomous region and autonomous areas - equal subjects of the Russian Federation.
2. A republic (State) shall have its own constitution and legislation. A territory, region, city of federal importance, autonomous region, and autonomous area shall have its charter and legislation.
3. The federal structure of the Russian Federation is based on its state integrity, the unity of the system of state authority, the division of authority and powers between the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation, the equality and self-determination of peoples in the Russian Federation.
4. In relations with federal bodies of state authority all the subjects of the Russian Federation shall be equal.
Article 6
1. Citizenship of the Russian Federation shall be acquired and terminated according to federal law; it shall be one and equal, irrespective of the grounds of acquisition.
2. Every citizen of the Russian Federation shall enjoy in its territory all the rights and freedoms and bear equal duties provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
3. A citizen of the Russian Federation may not be deprived of his or her citizenship or of the right to change it.
See Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002 on Russian Federation Citizenship
Article 7
1. The Russian Federation is a social State whose policy is aimed at creating conditions for a worthy life and the unhindered development of man.
2. In the Russian Federation the labour and health of people shall be protected, guaranteed minimum wages and salaries shall be established, state support ensured for the family, maternity, paternity and childhood, for disabled persons and the elderly, a system of social services developed, state pensions, allowances and other social security guarantees shall be established.
Article 8
1. In the Russian Federation guarantees shall be provided for the integrity of the economic space, a free flow of goods, services and financial resources, support for competition, and the freedom of economic activity.
2. In the Russian Federation recognition and equal protection shall be given to private, state, municipal and other forms of ownership.
Article 9
1. Land and other natural resources shall be utilised and protected in the Russian Federation as the basis of life and activity of the people living in the corresponding territories.
2. Land and other natural resources may be in private, state, municipal and other forms of ownership.
Article 10
State power in the Russian Federation shall be exercised on the basis of its division into legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative, executive and judicial authorities shall be independent.
Article 11
1. State power in the Russian Federation shall be exercised by the President of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly (the Council of the Federation and the State Duma), the Government of the Russian Federation, and the courts of the Russian Federation.
2. State power in the subjects of the Russian Federation shall be exercised by the bodies of state authority created by them.
3. The division of authority and powers among the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and the bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation shall be effectuated by this Constitution, federal and other treaties on the delimitation of the authority and powers.
Article 12
In the Russian Federation local self-government shall be recognised and guaranteed. Local self-government shall be independent within the limits of its authority. The bodies of local self-government shall not be part of the system of state authorities.
Article 13
1. In the Russian Federation ideological diversity shall be recognised.
2. No state or obligatory ideology may be established as one.
3. In the Russian Federation political diversity and the multi-party system shall be recognised.
4. Public associations shall be equal before the law.
5. The creation and activities of public associations whose aims and actions are aimed at a forced change of the fundamental principles of the constitutional system and at violating the integrity of the Russian Federation, at undermining its security, at setting up armed units, and at instigating social, racial, national and religious strife shall be prohibited.
Concerning activities of public associations see Federal Law No. 82-FZ of May 19, 1995 on Public Associations and Federal Law No. 95-FZ of July 11, 2001 on Political Parties
Article 14
1. The Russian Federation is a secular state. No state or obligatory religion may be established.
2. Religious associations shall be separate from the State and shall be equal before the law.
See Federal Law No. 125-FZ of September 26, 1997 on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations
Article 15
1. The Constitution of the Russian Federation shall have the supreme juridical force, direct application and shall be used on the whole territory of the Russian Federation. Laws and other legal acts adopted in the Russian Federation shall not contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
2. The bodies of state authority, bodies of local self-government, officials, private citizens and their associations shall be obliged to observe the Constitution of the Russian Federation and laws.
3. Laws shall be officially published. Unpublished laws shall not be used. Normative legal acts concerning human rights, freedoms and duties of man and citizen may not be used, if they are not officially published for general knowledge.
4. The universally-recognised norms of international law and international treaties and agreements of the Russian Federation shall be a component part of its legal system. If an international treaty or agreement of the Russian Federation establishes other rules than those envisaged by law, the rules of the international agreement shall be applied.
Article 16
1. The provisions of the present chapter of the Constitution comprise the fundamental principles of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, and may not be changed otherwise than according to the rules established by the present Constitution.
2. No other provision of the present Constitution may contradict the fundamental principles of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation.
Chapter 2. Rights and Freedoms of Man and Citizen
Article 17
1. In the Russian Federation recognition and guarantees shall be provided for the rights and freedoms of man and citizen according to the universally recognised principles and norms of international law and according to the present Constitution.
2. Fundamental human rights and freedoms are inalienable and shall be enjoyed by everyone from the day of birth.
3. The exercise of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall not violate the rights and freedoms of other people.
Article 18
The rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall operat directly. They determine the essence, meaning and implementation of laws, the activities of the legislative and executive authorities, local self-government and shall be ensured by the administration of justice.
Article 19
1. All people shall be equal before the law and courts.
2. The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned.
3. Men and women shall enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them.
Article 20
1. Everyone shall have the right to life.
2. Capital punishment until its complete abolition may be envisaged by a federal law only as a penalty for especially grave crimes against life, and the accused shall be granted the right to have his case examined by a jury.
Article 21
1. Human dignity shall be protected by the State. Nothing may serve as a basis for its derogation.
2. No one shall be subject to torture, violence or other cruel or humiliating treatment or punishment. No one may be subject to medical, scientific and other experiments without voluntary consent.
Article 22
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom and personal immunity.
2. Arrest, detention and remanding in custody shall be allowed only by court decision. Without the court's decision a person may not be detained for a term of more than 48 hours.
Article 23
1. Everyone shall have the right to the inviolability of private life, personal and family secrets, the protection of one's honour and good name.
2. Everyone shall have the right to privacy of correspondence, of telephone conversations, postal, telegraph and other messages. Limitations of this right shall be allowed only by court decision.
Article 24
1. The collection, keeping, use and dissemination of information about the private life of a person shall not be allowed without his or her consent.
2. The bodies of state authority and local self-government, their officials shall ensure for everyone the possibility of acquainting themselves with the documents and materials directly affecting his or her rights and freedoms, unless otherwise provided for by law.
Article 25
The home shall be inviolable. No one shall have the right to enter a home against the will of those living there, except for the cases established by a federal law or by court decision.
Article 26
1. Everyone shall have the right to determine and indicate his nationality. No one may be forced to determine and indicate his or her nationality.
2. Everyone shall have the right to use his or her native language, to a free choice of the language of communication, upbringing, education and creative work.
Article 27
1. Everyone who legally stays in the territory of the Russian Federation shall have the right to free travel, choice of place of stay or residence.
2. Everyone may freely leave the Russian Federation. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to freely return to the Russian Federation.
On the procedure of exit from the Russian Federation and entry into the Russian Federation see Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996
Article 28
Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with others any religion or to profess no religion at all, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them.
See Federal Law No. 125-FZ of September 26, 1997 on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations
Article 29
1. Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of ideas and speech.
2. Propaganda or agitation instigating social, racial, national or religious hatred and strife shall not be allowed. The propaganda of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic supremacy shall be banned.
3. No one may be forced to express his views and convictions or to reject them.
4. Everyone shall have the right to freely look for, receive, transmit, produce and distribute information by any legal means. The list of data comprising state secrets shall be determined by a federal law.
5. The freedom of mass communication shall be guaranteed. Censorship shall be banned.
Article 30
1. Everyone shall have the right to association, including the right to create trade unions for the protection of his or her interests. The freedom of activity of public association shall be guaranteed.
2. No one may be compelled to join any association and remain in it.
Concerning trade unions, their rights and guarantees for their activity see Federal Law No. 10-FZ of January 12, 1996
Concerning activities of public associations see Federal Law No. 82-FZ of May 19, 1995 on Public Associations and Federal Law No. 95-FZ of July 11, 2001 on Political Parties
Article 31
Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to assemble peacefully, without weapons, hold rallies, meetings and demonstrations, marches and pickets.
On Rallies, Meetings, Demonstrations, Marches and Picketing, see Federal Law No. 54-FZ of June 19, 2004
Article 32
1. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to participate in managing state affairs both directly and through their representatives.
2. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to elect and be elected to state bodies of power and local self-government bodies, and also to participate in referenda.
As to the Referendum of the Russian Federation, see Federal Constitutional Law No. 5-FKZ of June 28, 2004
3. Citizens recognised by court as legally unfit, as well as citizens kept in places of confinement under a court sentence, shall be deprived of the right to elect and be elected.
4. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall enjoy equal access to state service.
5. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to participate in administering justice.
Article 33
Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to address personally, as well as to submit individual and collective appeals to state bodies and local self-government bodies.
On the procedure for handling applications of citizens of the Russian Federation, see Federal Law No. 59-FZ of May 2, 2006
Article 34
1. Everyone shall have the right to free use of his abilities and property for entrepreneurial and economic activities not prohibited by law.
2. Economic activity aimed at monopolization and unfair competition shall not be allowed.
Article 35
1. The right of private property shall be protected by law.
2. Everyone shall have the right to have property, possess, use and dispose of it both personally and jointly with other people.
3. No one may be deprived of property other than by a court decision. Forced confiscation of property for state needs may be carried out only with the condition that preliminary and complete compensation.
4. The right of inheritance shall be guaranteed.
Article 36
1. Citizens and their associations shall have the right to possess land as private property.
2. Possession, utilization and disposal of land and other natural resources shall be exercised by the owners freely, if it is not detrimental to the environment and does not violate the rights and lawful interests of other people.
3. The terms and rules for the use of land shall be established by a federal law.
Article 37
1. Labour is free. Everyone shall have the right to freely use his labour capabilities, to choose the type of activity and profession.
2. Forced labour shall be banned.
3. Everyone shall have the right to labour conditions meeting the safety and hygiene requirements, to labour remuneration without any discrimination whatsoever and to wages and salaries not lower than the minimum established by federal law, as well as the right to protection against unemployment.
4. Recognition shall be given to the right to individual and collective labour disputes with the use of methods for their resolution established by federal law, including the right to strike.
5. Everyone shall have the right to rest and leisure. Those working under labour contracts shall be guaranteed a fixed duration of working time, days off and holidays, and annual paid leave established by federal law.
Article 38
1. Maternity and childhood, and the family shall be protected by the State.
2. Care for children and their upbringing shall be equally the right and obligation of parents.
3. Able-bodied children over 18 years of age shall take care of disabled parents.
Article 39
1. Everyone shall be guaranteed social security at the expense of the State in old age, in case of illness, disability, loss of the bread-winner, for bringing up children and in other cases established by law.
2. State pensions and social allowances shall be established by law.
3. Promotion shall be given to voluntary social insurance and the creation of additional forms of social security and charity.
Article 40
1. Everyone shall have the right to a home. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of his or her home.
2. The bodies of state authority and local self-government shall encourage housing construction and create conditions for exercising the right to a home.
3. People on low-incomes and other persons mentioned in law and in need of a home shall receive it gratis or for reasonable payment from the state, municipal and other housing stocks according to the norms established by law.
Article 41
1. Everyone shall have the right to health protection and medical aid. Medical aid in state and municipal health establishments shall be rendered to individuals gratis, at the expense of the corresponding budget, insurance contributions and other proceeds.
2. In the Russian Federation federal programmes for protecting and improving the health of the population shall be financed by the State; measures shall be adopted to develop state, municipal and private health services; activities shall be promoted which facilitate the improvement of health, the development of physical culture and sport, ecological and sanitary-epidemiological well-being.
3. The concealment by officials of facts and circumstances posing a threat to the life and health of people shall entail responsibility according to federal law.
Article 42
Everyone shall have the right to a favourable environment, reliable information about its state and to restitution for damage inflicted on his health and property by ecological transgressions.
Article 43
1. Everyone shall have the right to education.
2. Guarantees shall be provided for general access to and free pre-school, secondary and higher vocational education in state or municipal educational establishments and at enterprises.
3. Everyone shall have the right to receive on a competitive basis a free higher education in a state or municipal educational establishment and at an enterprise.
4. The basic general education shall be free of charge. Parents or those acting as such shall enable their children to receive a basic general education.
5. The Russian Federation shall establish federal state educational standards and support various forms of education and self-education.
On education see Law of the Russian Federation No. 3266-1 of July 10, 1992
Article 44
1. Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of literary, artistic, scientific, technical and other types of creative activity, and teaching. Intellectual property shall be protected by law.
2. Everyone shall have the right to participate in cultural life and use cultural establishments and to access to items of cultural value.
3. Everyone shall be obliged to care for the preservation of cultural and historical heritage and protect monuments of history and culture.
Article 45
1. State protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen shall be guaranteed in the Russian Federation.
2. Everyone shall be free to protect his rights and freedoms by all means not prohibited by law.
Article 46
1. Everyone shall be guaranteed judicial protection of his rights and freedoms.
2. Decisions and actions (or inaction) of bodies of state authority and local self-government, public associations and officials may be appealed against in court.
3. Everyone shall have the right to appeal, according to international treaties of the Russian Federation, to international bodies for the protection of human rights and freedoms, if all the existing internal state means of legal protection have been exhausted.
Article 47
1. No one may be deprived of the right to the consideration of his or her case in that court and by that judge in whose cognizance the given case is according to law.
2. A person accused of committing a crime shall have the right to the examination of his case by a jury court in cases envisaged by federal law.
Article 48
1. Everyone shall be guaranteed the right to qualified legal assistance. In cases envisaged by law the legal assistance shall be free.
2. Any person detained, taken into custody or accused of committing a crime shall have the right to receive the assistance of a lawyer (counsel for the defence) from the moment of detention, confinement in custody or facing charges accordingly.
Article 49
1. Everyone accused of committing a crime shall be considered innocent until his guilt is proved according to the rules fixed by federal law and confirmed by the sentence of a court which has come into legal force.
2. The accused shall not be obliged to prove his innocence.
3. Unremovable doubts about the guilt of a person shall be interpreted in favour of the accused.
Article 50
1. No one may be convicted twice for one and the same crime.
2. In administering justice it shall not be allowed to use evidence received by violating federal law.
3. Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to appeal against the judgement in a superior court according to the rules envisaged by federal law, as well as to ask for pardon or mitigation of punishment.
Article 51
1. No one shall be obliged to give evidence incriminating themselves, a husband or wife or close relatives the range of whom is determined by federal law.
2. Federal law may envisage other cases of absolution from the obligation to testify.
Article 52
The rights of victims of crimes and of abuse of office shall be protected by law. The State shall provide access to justice for them and compensation for the damage sustained.
Article 53
Everyone shall have the right to state compensation for damage caused by unlawful actions (inaction) of bodies of state authority and their officials.
Article 54
1. A law introducing or aggravating responsibility shall not have retrospective effect.
2. No one may bear responsibility for an action which was not regarded as a crime when it was committed. If after violating the law the relevant responsibility is eliminated or mitigated, the new law shall be applied.
Article 55
1. The listing in the Constitution of the Russian Federation of the fundamental rights and freedoms shall not be interpreted as a rejection or derogation of other universally recognized human rights and freedoms.
2. In the Russian Federation no laws shall be adopted cancelling or derogating human rights and freedoms.
3. The rights and freedoms of man and citizen may be limited by federal law only to the extent necessary for the protection of the fundamental principles of the constitutional system, morality, health, the rights and lawful interests of other people, for ensuring defence of the country and security of the State.
Article 56
1. In conditions of a state of emergency, in order to ensure the safety of citizens and the protection of the constitutional system and in accordance with federal constitutional law certain limitations may be placed on human rights and freedoms with the establishment of the extent and duration of such limitations.
2. A state of emergency may be introduced in the whole territory of the Russian Federation and in certain parts thereof in the circumstances and according to the rules established by the federal constitutional law.
See Federal Constitutional Law No. 3-FKZ of May 30, 2001 on the State of Emergency
3. The rights and freedoms envisaged in Articles 20, 21, 23 (the first part), 24, 28, 34 (the first part), 40 (the first part), 46-54 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, shall not be liable to limitation.
Article 57
Everyone shall be obliged to pay the legally established taxes and dues. Laws introducing new taxes or deteriorating the position of taxpayers may not have retroactive effect.
Article 58
Everyone shall be obliged to preserve nature and the environment, treat and carefully the riches of nature.
Article 59
1. Defence of the Fatherland shall be a duty and obligation of citizens of the Russian Federation.
2. A citizen shall carry out military service according to federal law.
3. A citizen of the Russian Federation shall have the right to replace military service by alternative civilian service if his convictions or religious belief prohibit military service and also in other cases envisaged by federal law.
Article 60
A citizen of the Russian Federation may exe
