Development of Russian legislation on Northern Indigenous Peoples

• Author: Vladimir A. Kryazhkov
• Pages: 3-18

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Arctic Revie w on Law and Politics, vol. 4 , 2/2013 pp. 140 –155. IS SN 1891-6252

Development of Russian legislation on

Northern Indigenous Peoples

Vladimir A. Kryazhkov

Vladimir A. Kryazhkov, Doctor of legal sciences, Professor of Department of

Constitutional and Municipal Law, National Research University ‘Higher School of

Economics’, honored lawyer of the RF, advisor to the Constitutional Court of the RF

in 1992–2010 (E-mail: Vladimir-Kryazhkov@yandex.ru).

Received December 2012, accepted March 2013

Abstract: is article analyzes the peculiarities of Russian legislation on

Indigenous Peoples of the North and its application in practice over the past 20

years. e author identies several pha ses of development of this legislation and

its current status, and formulates proposals for improvement of the “ind igenous”

legislation and related enforcement practices.

Key words: Russian law, indigenous peoples of the North, improving «indigenous»

national legislation and law enforcement practices

1. Levels and functions of the law on northern peoples

Over the last 20 years legislation on indigenous peoples of the North has been

formulated in the Russian Federation (hereaer RF) as a specic multisectoral

development of russian legislation on northern indigenous peoples

141

segment of Russian law.

1

In view of t he fe dera l sy stem of gov ern ment i n Ru ssia and

related constitutional provisions (arts. 71, 72, 76), this legislation is a two-level one,

i.e. consists of two blocks of laws and regulations – federal and regional. Federal

legal regulation prevai ls in the sphere (human and civil rights a nd freedoms cur-

rently falls in t he competence of the federal authorities), while the regional level is

supplemental, more specic, and remedial. Its necessity a nd focus is determined

by the fact that protection of human rights, indigenous minorities’ rights, and

protection of traditional liveli hoods of small-numbered indigenous communities

is in the joint competence of federal and regional authorities.

e existence of legislation on indigenous peoples of the North is an ocial

acknowledgement of their specic legal status by the state. is ensures both t he

preservation of their culture, and promotes a better adaptation of those peoples

to present social conditions.

2. Stages of formation of “indigenous” legislation

ree stages of dierent intensity and legal content are clearly di stinguished in the

course of development of “indigenous” legislation.2

1. ere are 40 peoples i n Russia classie d as indigenous (Nenet s, Khanty, Mansi , Chukchi,

Evenki, Sa mi, etc.), 280 thousa nd people in total liv ing in the Arct ic on their indigenous l ands

in 2 8 con sti tuen t ent itie s in Russ ia (r ang ing f rom t he K ola p eni nsul a in the w est t o Chu kot ka

in the east). e lis t of the given peoples wa s approved by Decree of the Government of the

RF dated Apri l 17

th

2006 No.536-р //Russian Federation Code (Sobraniye zakono datelstva

Rossiiskoi Federatsii, hereaer – SZR F). 2006. № 17. P.2. Cl. 1905. ese peoples a re referred

to as ‘indige nous small-numbere d peoples’ in Russia , however their mai n character istics

correspond to the de nition of ‘indigenous pe oples’ in art. 1 of the ILO Convent ion 169. So

they present the mselves and the same me aning is implied i n the Constitut ion of the RF which

identies the m as a special subject of the lega l constitutional relat ions (Art. 69). is view is

taken by the aut hor in analysis of Russi an legislation on indigenou s peoples of the North.

2. For certa in charact eristics of t his legislat ion see: Харючи С.Н. Кор енные малочисл енные

народы: проблемы законодательства, Томск 2004 (Kha ryuchi S .N., Indigenous peo-

ples: problems of legislation, Tomsk, 2004); Андриченко Л.В. Регулирование и за щита

прав национальны х меньшинств и коренны х малочисле нных народов в Российс кой

Федерации, М., 2005. С. 257–380 (Andrichenko L.V., Regulation and protection of rights of

ethnic minorit ies and indigenous people s in Russian Federation, Мos cow 2005 pp. 257–380);

Кряжков В.А. Коре нные малочисле нные народы Севера в ро ссийском праве. М., 2 010.

С.71–107 (Kryazhkov V.A., Indigenous peo ples of the North in t he Russian law, Мoscow

2010 pp. 71–107); Под общей редакцие й Штырова В.А., Современное со стояние и пути

развития корен ных малочисл енных народов Север а, Сибири и Дальнего Вос тока

Россий ской Фед ерации. М., 2012 (Shtyrov V.A. (ed.) Current status and t he ways of devel-

opment of the indigenou s small-numbered peoples of the Nor th; Siberia and Far-eas t of the

Russian Feder ation. Moscow 2012).