MOSCOW, March 22 - RAPSI. The European Court of Human Rights' Grand Chamber has held for the court's earlier judgment in favor of Russian serviceman Konstantin Markin, according to the judgment posted on the courts website on Thursday.

The October judgment in the "Markin case" was one reason behind the drafting of a bill that would allow the Russian Constitutional Court to block the enforcement of Strasbourg court decisions.

Markin, a divorced father of three children, turned to the European court after his garrisons military court denied him a parental leave. Having studied the case materials, the Constitutional Court found no grounds to accept his complaint for consideration.

The Constitutional Court's ruling dated January 15, 2009 pointed to the Federal Military Service Act, whereby military personnel enjoy rights and freedoms with certain restrictions and parental leave is only granted to female military personnel.

The European court found its arguments unconvincing and declared it in breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The judgment was challenged by the Russian authorities in the Grand Chamber. Having considered the complaint, the judges sided with the court in its previous judgment, which then became effective.