Russia

Anti-terrorist act against democracy?

In the shadow of the Brexit referendum, the Russian Parliament over Anti-Terror laws, the civil liberties limit. Especially activities in social networks will in future be severely punished.

The Russian Parliament ended its term with a Bang. While the world speaks about the consequences of the EU referendum in the UK, could adopt the deputies of the state Duma on your last day of work this Friday a controversial bill package. Officially, it goes to Terror fight, but the warnings of a massive restriction of civil rights and freedoms in the process. Some see the fight against the Opposition as the main target of the measures. “In fact, it comes to the destruction of those who are not disagree with the government,” he wrote on Facebook, the independent members of Parliament and Kremlin critic Dmitry Gudkov.

The Initiative of a Hardliner

As the current government was elected to the Duma in 2011, led to charges of fraud, mass protests in Moscow. The legitimacy of the deputies was questioned. However, the Protest was out of the race. Since then, the state Duma has adopted several laws that could make it difficult for a repeat of those events. A new Parliament is elected in Russia in September.

Was initiated the so-called Anti-terrorist package of Irina Jarowaja, and unofficially, it even carries your name. The 49-year-old former liberal politician since their exchange in the Kremlin party “United Russia” as a Hardliner. 2012 Jarowaja co-initiator of the international, was a much-criticized law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the need to since then as “foreign agents” register, and thereby defamed and see.

Youth in the crosshairs

The new laws were necessary to protect Russia “against terrorism, and especially dangerous crime,” said Jarowaja. You can see the tightening of existing penalties and introducing new offences before.So, you can come in Russia due to terrorism in the future, a life sentence behind bars. The financing of terrorism can be punished with 15 instead of the previous ten years. In the future, make also a punishable offence, anyone who knows anything about terrorist activities and the authorities are not informed. This is also new, as the offence of “aid to extremist activities”.

Russia’s Parliament wants to toughen existing penalties and new offences to introduce

Also the age of criminal responsibility is set at 14 years. It is not just Terror. So young people can be also punished because of “participation in mass riots” hard. This Passage reads like made, to uprisings, to prevent such as that found in the Winter of 2013/2014 in the neighboring Ukraine, and of young people worn.

More control on the Internet

Outside the state-controlled media, the Internet was in Russia so far, a relatively free Zone. After the entry into force of the new laws, the freedom of expression is likely to suffer. Who is “extremist activities” in the Web, immediately lands in prison, a fine is not provided. Those who share in the social networks well just an “extremist” photo, risked imprisonment. In the past months, in Russia, there were always cases in which people were due to Comments on social networks condemned.

Also, Internet providers are now duty-bound to save all communication for six months and to grant security agencies access. Some industry associations have protested. The measures would threaten the security and the private lives of citizens. Also, communication companies are not asked to adopt these Changes.

Criticism from human rights activists

Already before the first reading in may, the “Jarowaja-laws harvested” a lot of criticism. The package will not achieve its stated main objective, the fight against terrorism, and. To this conclusion came the presidential human rights Council. You recognize the intent, to weaken citizens ‘ rights, “significantly,” it said in a statement. The Council recommended to revise the laws.

The renowned Moscow human rights activist Lev Ponomarev has published in his Blog a dramatic appeal. The “Jarowaja-laws” would make all the critics of the present government in Russia before a choice: escape or prison. Also, since the escape could be difficult abroad, was the “de facto Iron curtain,” wrote Ponomarev.

Change at the last Moment

There is a lot of criticism of the proposal, to be able to Russian citizenship to escape caused. The new laws were initially a deprivation of citizenship of convicted terrorists, but also of persons working for foreign armed forces, intelligence services or the courts. However, when this point was made on Thursday, surprisingly, backed out. All of the passages about the deprivation of citizenship had been removed, reported the state news Agency TASS. The deputies have apparently understood that they may have gone too far.