“One of the key elements of our work in the next four years will be ensuring the independence of our legal system from the executive and legislative branches of power.” – Dmitry Medvedev, Feb. 24, 2008

“Russia should be a democratic state under the rule of law, and this means that all of its citizens, including its leaders, must respect the law. (…) And if the level of legal awareness is not very high in Russia, then it is not the citizens who are to blame, but the state itself.” – Vladimir Putin, Feb. 14, 2008

The above quotes from more than 1 year and 9 months ago are just a sample of the many statements which were coming up as I researched our archives following the big news today of two Russian constitutional court judges, Anatoly Kononov and Vladimir Yaroslavtsev, who were forced to resign by the Kremlin.  Their crimes?  Judge Yaroslavtsev gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El Pais, and described Russia’s legislative bodies as “paralysed,” while Kononov rushed to his defense.  I am working on a translation of the El Pais article, while the Telegraph has a strong article.  Below is some information from Oleg Kozlovsky’s blog (hat tip: Russophobe):