In commemoration (or perhaps, in mourning) of this weekend’s anniversary of the Russian constitution, we offer an exclusive translation from human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov from RuleofLaw.ru.

Don’t Read this Book
By Stanislav Markelov

There are books that are an element of ritual irrespective of their content. Earlier, as they say under the tsar Gorokh [in times immemorial–Trans.], every peasant always had a Psalter in his hut, although the greater part of them did not know how to read.

Today the same kind of ritual character is had by citing the Constitution. But even ritual has a tendency to break down when it starts to impede real life. And so they have easily changed the Russian Constitution with one wave of the magic wand, or more precisely one presidential speech. For some reason, everybody paid attention to why this was done, and least of all thought about the degree of significance of that document, which it is so easy to change. After all, it was not long ago at all that the head of the ruling party in the St. Duma, Gryzlov, had declared that «United Russia» will never allow for any changes in the Constitution. Apparently the time has come to break down the ritual formulas of fidelity to the Fundamental Law and to cast the idol into the dirt, as impeding real life and the ruling course.