MOSCOW, April 25 (RAPSI) - Lawmaker Vladimir Ponevezhsky (United Russia), a member of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Duma representative in the Supreme Court, has submitted a bill for government review that would not recognize “knowingly unjust” rulings of foreign courts in cases that should be tried in Russian courts, Kommersant reports Friday.

If a court rules for damages against individuals or legal entities, they could claim compensation from the Russian government for violating their right to have the case heard by a competent Russian court. Vladimir Pligin, Head of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation, announced that the “bill is aimed at protecting the rights and interests” of Russians.

In March 2013, a similar bill was submitted by United Russia parliamentary group members Mikhail Starshinov and Irshat Fakhritdinov and by Federation Council member Konstantin Tsybko. The draft was not even considered by the civil legislation committee responsible for the initiative.

Ponevezhsky’s rationale for developing the bill was based on “an unfavorable international situation in which foreign courts could be inclined to make unjust rulings with respect to Russian nationals.” He cited the example of the Schneerson Library, located in Russia and nationalized in 1918.

Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson was forced to leave the Soviet Union in 1927. He took his book collection with him to Latvia and Poland where he left the books after Poland was attacked by Nazi Germany. The collection was moved to Germany where it was confiscated by the Red Army in 1945.
Schneerson died in 1950 without leaving instructions regarding the collection.

On January 16, 2013 the US District of Columbia Court ordered Russia to pay fines of $50,000 per day until it complied with a 2010 ruling to return the books and manuscripts to the US Hasidic community. Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the ruling as an unlawful provocation. Russia argues that Schneerson had no heirs, which makes the library national heritage.