Russian Constitutional Court Rules Women Entitled to Jury Trial

Feb. 25, 2016

The Russian Constitutional Court has granted women the right to be tried by a jury, the RAPSI legal news outlet reported Thursday. The decision was made after investigating a complaint by Alyona Lymar — a woman accused of murdering her daughter.

According to Russia's Criminal Code, regional courts only hold jury trials when the accused faces life imprisonment. However, women cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment under Russia's Criminal Code.

After her application for a jury trial was rejected, Lymar appealed to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the current situation leads to inequality between men and women, RAPSI reported.

The Constitutional Court ruled in Lymar's favor, saying that such an approach leads to gender discrimination and limits the right of women to legal defense.

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