Russian Legislators Set to Ease Controversial Anti-Extremism Law

A step in the right direction for Russian law

FILE PHOTO. ©  Global Look Press / State Duma Russia

The Russian State Duma has approved the first reading of amendments to the controversial anti-extremism law, decriminalizing first-time offenses. Some legislators argue, however, that the whole law should be scrapped.

The main purpose of the amendments, according to legislators, is to make Russian penal code more “humane” and fix Article 282, which proved to be used “arbitrarily” in some cases. Under this legislation, an individual who incites hatred, discord and degrades human dignity in public speeches, in mass media and also in internet publications can end up behind bars for up to six years.

Over the past few years the number of Article 282 cases grew exponentially, with people getting into trouble over simple reposts on social media.

The amendments package proposed earlier by Putin and approved by the State Duma on Thursday, decriminalizes first time extremism offenses, and now only those, who already faced administrative repercussions over the past year will be criminally liable. It introduces said administrative liability for extremist speech. First-time offenders will face fines up to 20,000 rubles ($300), up to 100 hours of community work, or an administrative arrest for 15 days. Organizations, however, will face much bigger fines – up to 500,000 rubles (some $7,500).

Chief of the State Duma's legislature committee, Pavel Krasheninnikov, explained that the law will be retroactive and affect earlier convictions and pending cases.

According to Russian prosecutors, some 75 percent of cases under the anti-extremist law were started over internet posts and reposts. Over the first half of this year, out of a total of 762 such criminal cases, 571 involved internet reposts.

Adoption of the amendments package is a step in the right direction, yet the whole Article 282 is still “redundant,” legislator Sergey Shargunov, one of those who started the motion to ease the extremism law, told RT.

“I think it's a very important decision. It's a step towards common sense and humanization of the Criminal Code,” Shargunov told RT.

Similar opinion is shared by the chief of Russia's Liberal Democrats, Vladimir Zhirinovsky – well-known for his inflammatory remarks – who argued that the law simply allows the prosecution of people for any “critical remarks.”

Top Managers of Failed Banks Should be Banned from Leaving Russia – Duma Speaker

Corruption is Everywhere - certainly in Russia's banking system -

but who wants to fix the problem?

The 200, 2000 and 5000 ruble banknotes © Alexey Suhorukov / Sputnik

The Russian lower house speaker has supported the proposal to pass a law that would ban top managers from failed banks to leave Russia for the period when their organizations are being rescued by the government.

State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin backed the initiative voiced by the head of Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who said on Tuesday that his comrades had prepared a motion that’ once introduced as a law, would “prevent bankers to whom the Central Bank has questions” from leaving Russia.

This, of course, is not a done deal yet, and the fact that it originates with Zhirinovsky may make it a difficult law to pass. On the other hand, who in the government wants to be seen voting against measures that might reduce corruption in Russia's banking system?

Volodin told Zhirinovsky that in case such a motion had already been prepared it would be reasonable to draft it as a bill, adding that the Central Bank had previously supported the idea.

The head of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, said that her colleagues did support the move, adding that the Central Bank has earlier proposed to introduce such restrictions because investigations into financial crimes can take a lot of time and the return of suspects and misused assets from abroad can be an extremely complicated procedure.

The bill, mentioned by Nabiullina, was presented by the Central Bank experts in late September. Its sponsors said that they saw it as extremely unjust when bankers with tremendous debts flee the country and continue to live as rich people while people who have relatively small debts before the state in traffic fines or community fees can be stopped at the border and forced to pay or return.

Nabiullina referred to the law to deny citizens the right to exit the country if they have over 30,000 roubles ($455) of unpaid debts that had emerged as a result of court processes and are confirmed by court warrants. In some cases, such as debts on child support  payments or compensations over damages to other person’s health the barring threshold is as low as 10,000 roubles (about $150).

Cases of major bankruptcies sending tremors through the whole financial system took place repeatedly in Russia over the past years that have not be easy for the global economy in general. In 2013 the central bank started to deprive the private banks that find themselves in crisis situation from banking licenses with subsequent recovery procedure – the introduction of external management and subsequent sale of the organization to a larger bank in order to cover the debts. This happened to 354 banks between 2013 and 2017 and in 2018 the Central Bank continued to recall between 2 and 3 banking licensees per month.

Luzhkov

However, in many cases managers of the banks that underwent the recovery process had managed to transfer huge sums of money abroad through shady schemes and then reunite with their money by simply fleeing the country. 

The list includes, but is not limited to former head of Bank of Moscow Andrey Borodin who fled to UK soon after his patron, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, was fired from his post due to loss of trust in 2010, Billionaire banker and former senator Sergey Pugachev, who lives in UK and France after his businesses went bust in early 2010s, banker Boris Bulochnik, who siphoned the funds from his bank and fled to his native Ukraine soon after the Maidan events of 2014 and more recently – banker and real estate mogul Boris Mints who fled to Great Britain after facing a criminal probe in Russia and earlier this month reportedly purchased the luxury spa hotel Double Tree in Gloucestershire, not far from Prince Henry’s (Harry's?) residence.

Corruption is, in my opinion, expected in Russia, especially when it comes to handling money. But what is likely unforgivable, is taking all that money they stole from Russians and removing it from Russia. Some sins are forgivable; some are not!

Russia to Tighten Rules for Foreign-Funded Religious Groups

RT: April 14, 2015 13:30 

Servants of the Last Testament Church hold a procession to the Abode of Dawn
near Petropavlovka village, Krasnoyarsk Territory. (Reuters/Grigoriy Sisoev)

A Russian government commission has recommended to pass the bill that would oblige all religious groups that receive sponsorship from abroad to provide the authorities with detailed information about their work and their leaders.

The Justice Ministry that has drafted the bill, noted in an explanations that its main objective was to timely uncover the religious groups’ involvement in terrorist and extremist activities as well as other facts of violation of the Russian law.

The draft orders that religious organizations that get money or other property from foreign and international groups, foreign citizens and persons without citizenship, should file in detailed reports about their activities and personal information about their leaders. Regional branches of the Justice ministry are charged with the task to oversee the process.

The bill will be considered at one of the nearest government sessions and then submitted to the parliament.

MPs suggest restricting activities of 'undesirable foreign groups' in Russia

In late 2012 Russia introduced the so called “Foreign Agents Law” that ordered all NGOs that receive funding from abroad, and that are even partially engaged in political activities, to register as foreign agents or risk substantial fines. Activists and human rights officials criticized the act for allegedly labeling the groups and warned of a possible sharp cut in foreign funding.

Russian officials, including President Putin, replied that the law contained no sanctions against foreign-funded organizations and only sought to inform the Russian public better, and especially voters, of the possible motives of various participants in the political process.

And if you believe that, I still have that tropical island off the coast of Labrador for sale. There is always a hidden agenda in anything President Putin does.

In late 2014 the State Duma passed a bill that makes it illegal for Russian political parties to receive sponsorship, or enter any business deals with NGOs with “foreign agent” status.