Medvedev’s rule

Washington Post: Shortly after being sworn in as Russian president Wednesday, Dmitry Medvedev declared that “my most important task is to further develop civil and economic freedoms.” Above all, said the 42-year-old former law professor, “we must achieve true respect for the law and end the legal nihilism that is seriously hindering modern development.”

That was a remarkable statement under the circumstances. Medvedev, after all, owes his position to the “legal nihilism” of outgoing president Vladimir Putin, who grossly abused both the letter and the spirit of Russia’s nominally democratic constitution to install a handpicked successor. Putin, who takes over the post of prime minister, accumulated a fortune estimated in the tens of billions while serving two terms as president. In recent weeks he has been twisting the law again to ensure that he will remain Russia’s most potent leader.

A puppet of Putin?

Chances are that Medvedev’s statement was no more creditable than Putin’s own claim that the presidential transition was carried out “on the basis of strict observance of the laws and the principles of democracy.” Still, it’s not yet clear what the relationship between the new and old Russian presidents will be — whether Medvedev will remain a puppet of Putin, or begin to assert his own agenda. For that reason, it’s worth Western governments taking Medvedev at his word about his legalistic passion — and suggesting some ways he might act on it.

To begin, Medvedev could be asked for action on the 14 unsolved murders of journalists during Putin’s tenure — such as that of Anna Politkovskaya, in whose case suspects have been identified but never tried.

If that’s too hard, Medvedev at least could end the use of the law as a weapon against opposition leaders, independent civic organizations and human rights groups.