The State of Democratization in Post-Soviet Russia: The Role of the European Court of Human Rights and the Growth of Rule of Law

This research seeks to understand the role of rule of law within the process of democratization in Russia. While the literature concerning theories of democratization and the process of democratization is robust, there is not enough work done on the specific role of the rule of law within this process. In particular, this thesis focuses on how external actors to Russia can influence the growth of rule of law and potentially act as a mechanism for furthering the transition to democracy in Russia. As such, this work looks at the role of the European Court of Human Rights in the process of the growth of rule of law by looking at three case studies: Alekseyev v. Russia, Kiyutin v. Russia, and Konstantin Markin v. Russia.