Аннотация:The core international human rights treaties, such a Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 or International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, do not establish any model of judicial protection of these rights during the preliminary stages of criminal procedure. However, the further constitutional evolution of different countries, in particular of Russia, created some universal standards. In accordance with these standards, it is only the judge may limit the freedoms and fundamentals rights in pre-judicial stages of criminal procedure. Nevertheless, who is this judge? A judge who investigate (the French model of juge d’instruction) or a judge who is outside of investigation? In the latter case, it shall be an ordinary judge or a specialized judge? The Russian law yet hesitates between all these models. These hesitations are reflecting some conceptual problems concerning the role of judge in the preliminary stages of criminal procedure. Is the judicial activity shall be considering like an efficient instrument of protection of human rights or rather like an instrument of simple legitimation of non-judicial acts limiting the freedoms and fundamental rights?