STRASBOURG, October 2 - RAPSI. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteur Gyorgy Frunda harshly criticized Russia's judicial system on Tuesday.

Frunda, who serves as the PACE rapporteur monitoring Russia's execution of its commitments to the organization, said political pluralism has deteriorated in the country. During a discussion of a comprehensive report on Russia, he said that Pussy Riot's two-year custodial sentence is disproportionate to the group members' crime. They were convicted on charges of hooliganism after performing a "punk prayer" in a Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral.

He also stressed that the executive power is growing stronger, to the detriment of pluralism. At the same time, the official dubbed Russia's judiciary a tool for wielding political pressure, and underscored the need to investigate the deaths of Hermitage Capital attorney Sergei Magnitsky, renowned journalist Anna Politkovskaya, and Natalia Estemirova.

Magnitsky was charged with masterminding large-scale corporate tax evasion. He died in a Moscow pretrial detention center on November 16, 2009 after spending a year behind bars. His death sparked a public outcry and triggered amendments to the Criminal Code and a reshuffling of officials in the penal system.

Politkovskaya was well known for her investigative journalism on human rights issues in Chechnya. She was killed in Moscow on October 7, 2006. Investigators believe her murder was related to her work.

Estemirova, an employee at Memorial human rights organization and winner of many famous human rights awards, was kidnapped in Grozny on July 15, 2009. Her body was later found in Ingushetia.

Frunda went on to say that Russia is the only Council of Europe member that has yet to ratify the sixth protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights abolishing capital punishment. However, the speaker did not fail to overlook several positive changes that have occurred since 2005, such as the ratification of the special charter, a moratorium on the death penalty, and a law on political parties.