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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Russian Studies in Law and Politics</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Russian Studies in Law and Politics</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Russian Studies in Law and Politics</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">2576-9634</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2998-8284</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Science and Innovation Center Publishing House</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">492593</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.12731/2576-9634-2026-10-3-270</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">WKLXIS</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Публично-правовые науки</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>Public Law Sciences</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Reconciling cross-border access to stored electronic evidence with sovereignty under the UN Cybercrime Convention</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Согласование трансграничного доступа к хранящимся электронным доказательствам с принципом суверенитета в рамках Конвенции ООН о киберпреступности</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Aziaka</surname><given-names>Bridget Silver</given-names></name><address><country country="CH">Switzerland</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>MSc, Master of Laws (LLM) in International Dispute Settlement</p> <p> </p></bio><email>Bridgetchiaziaka20@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Nwokorie</surname><given-names>Uchenna Isaac</given-names></name><address><country country="NG">Nigeria</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>BSc Law</p> <p> </p></bio><email>uchennanwokonig@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Ibiso</surname><given-names>Chukwu Kingsley</given-names></name><address><country country="NG">Nigeria</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>BSc in Mass Communication, Public Relations Officer</p> <p> </p></bio><email>Kingsibisochuks@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1"><institution>Center for International Dispute Settlement</institution></aff><aff id="aff2"><institution>Okocha &amp; Okocha Legal Practitioners</institution></aff><aff id="aff3"><institution>Babalakin &amp; Co. Legal Practitioners</institution></aff><content-language>en</content-language><pub-date date-type="preprint" publication-format="electronic" iso-8601-date="2026-09-30"><day>30</day><month>09</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic" iso-8601-date="2026-09-30"><day>30</day><month>09</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><pub-date date-type="collection"><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>10</volume><issue>3</issue><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>4</fpage><lpage>33</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2026-07-10"><day>10</day><month>07</month><year>2026</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2026-08-17"><day>17</day><month>08</month><year>2026</year></date></history><pub-history><event event-type="received"><event-desc>Received:<date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2026-07-10"><day>10</day><month>07</month><year>2026</year></date></event-desc></event><event event-type="accepted"><event-desc>Accepted:<date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2026-08-17"><day>17</day><month>08</month><year>2026</year></date></event-desc></event><event event-type="pub"><event-desc>Published:<pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic" iso-8601-date="2026-09-30"><day>30</day><month>09</month><year>2026</year></pub-date></event-desc></event></pub-history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2026, Aziaka B.S., Nwokorie U.I., Ibiso C.K.</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2026, Aziaka B., Nwokorie U., Ibiso C.</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Aziaka B.S., Nwokorie U.I., Ibiso C.K.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Aziaka B., Nwokorie U., Ibiso C.</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.rcsi.science/2576-9634/article/view/492593">https://journals.rcsi.science/2576-9634/article/view/492593</self-uri><self-uri content-type="application/pdf" xlink:href="492593/492593-1276373-1-SM.pdf" xlink:title="PDF" xml:lang="en">492593/492593-1276373-1-SM.pdf</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>Background. This study addresses the tension between efficient cross-border access to stored electronic evidence and state sovereignty, procedural safeguards, and personal-data protection.</p> <p>Purpose. The objective is to develop and justify a sovereignty-compatible decision sequence under the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime and to identify the limits of Budapest and European Union mechanisms as implementation comparators.</p> <p>Materials and methods. The study applies doctrinal treaty interpretation under Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, functional comparative analysis, and an E/P/N framework across ten categories. Official legal texts and relevant scholarship were reviewed and mapped.</p> <p>Results. Of the ten categories, preservation is the only E-coded category; eight other categories are P-coded, while the endpoint category comprises three P-coded subfunctions: request response, provider or affected-person remedies, and interstate dispute settlement. Article 40(7) is pivotal because an applicable mutual-assistance treaty ordinarily governs procedure. The proposed sequence separates preservation from disclosure, addresses uncertain data location through Articles 41 and 42, and incorporates the Article 43 traffic-data route.</p> <p>Conclusions. The Convention supplies the core legal architecture but leaves substantial procedural detail to applicable treaties, reservations, and domestic law; the proposed sequence therefore provides an ex ante implementation framework that preserves sovereign legal functions while maintaining review, proportionality, and data-protection safeguards.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>Обоснование. Настоящее исследование посвящено противоречию между эффективным трансграничным доступом к хранимым электронным доказательствам и государственным суверенитетом, процессуальными гарантиями и защитой персональных данных.</p> <p>Цель. Цель исследования состоит в разработке и обосновании совместимой с принципом государственного суверенитета последовательности принятия решений в рамках Конвенции Организации Объединенных Наций против киберпреступности, а также в определении пределов применимости механизмов Будапештской конвенции и Европейского союза в качестве сравнительных ориентиров для имплементации.</p> <p>Материалы и методы. В исследовании применяются доктринальное толкование международных договоров в соответствии со статьями 31 и 32 Венской конвенции о праве международных договоров, функционально-сравнительный анализ и модель E/P/N, охватывающая десять категорий. Были проанализированы и систематизированы официальные правовые тексты и соответствующая научная литература.</p> <p>Результаты. Из десяти категорий обеспечение сохранности данных является единственной категорией, классифицированной как E; восемь других категорий классифицированы как P, тогда как категория конечных функций включает три подфункции, классифицированные как P: реагирование на запрос, средства правовой защиты поставщика услуг или затронутого лица и урегулирование межгосударственных споров. Статья 40(7) имеет ключевое значение, поскольку применимый договор о взаимной правовой помощи, как правило, регулирует соответствующую процедуру. Предлагаемая последовательность разграничивает обеспечение сохранности данных и их раскрытие, учитывает неопределенность местонахождения данных посредством механизмов статей 41 и 42 и включает предусмотренный статьей 43 механизм в отношении данных о трафике.</p> <p>Выводы. Конвенция устанавливает основную правовую архитектуру, однако оставляет существенный объем процессуального регулирования применимым договорам, оговоркам и внутреннему законодательству; поэтому предлагаемая последовательность представляет собой модель имплементации ex ante, обеспечивающую сохранение суверенных правовых функций государства при одновременном сохранении гарантий проверки, пропорциональности и защиты персональных данных.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>cross-border electronic evidence</kwd><kwd>UN Cybercrime Convention</kwd><kwd>state sovereignty</kwd><kwd>stored electronic data</kwd><kwd>mutual legal assistance</kwd><kwd>proportionality</kwd><kwd>personal data protection</kwd><kwd>international cooperation</kwd><kwd>E/P/N Model</kwd><kwd>functional comparative study</kwd><kwd>extraterritorial jurisdiction</kwd><kwd>discretionary powers of the state</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>трансграничные электронные доказательства</kwd><kwd>Конвенция ООН против киберпреступности</kwd><kwd>государственный суверенитет</kwd><kwd>хранимые электронные данные</kwd><kwd>взаимная правовая помощь</kwd><kwd>пропорциональность</kwd><kwd>защита персональных данных</kwd><kwd>международное сотрудничество</kwd><kwd>модель E/P/N</kwd><kwd>функционально-сравнительное исследование</kwd><kwd>экстерриториальная юрисдикция</kwd><kwd>дискреционные полномочия государства</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Abraha, H. 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