Blat in law

Who has never used blat? By acquaintance. For our own. A train ticket, a trip to a sanatorium, a ticket to the theater, to a doctor without a queue, to a prosecutor for support. You never know. Especially in Soviet times, when there was little money and even less goods and services. Bad system, bad habit, but... life. If you throw a stone at everyone who has ever used blat, then there will be neither stones nor inhabitants left in the country.

Blat, born in Soviet times from the intraspecific crossing of communists and shortages, was a mass phenomenon. But blat for the elite was a limited phenomenon, it was called privileges and had the force of law. How many of these privileges there were should be well remembered by those who, at the turn of the 80s and 90s, devoted their energies to the fight against this Soviet relic. The struggle is not useless, but, frankly speaking, absolutely losing.

Soviet power dissolved, the communists went into the margins, but the privileges remained as they were. First among the chosen ones, then among the appointed ones. The old-style cronyism is no longer needed in everyday life - now money can buy a train ticket, a vacation in a sanatorium, a doctor, and a prosecutor. Everything is available - the market!

But this universal accessibility is like a hammer and sickle for those who imagine that they are the elite. Since they are elite, they are special. Since they are special, that means they are not trembling creatures, but have rights. At least some rights that others don’t have. Drive with flashing lights in the oncoming lane. Use high-quality, but free medicine at taxpayers' expense. In departmental catering, you can eat quite decent dishes for pennies (not to be confused with a scandalous advertisement for a vacuum cleaner!). In fact, where else, besides the State Duma canteen, will fried salmon with tartar sauce cost 51 rubles 12 kopecks, and chicken tabaka - 23 rubles 06 kopecks (prices three years ago)? Perhaps in the Government House, where the menu, presumably, is marked “Top Secret.” What about luxury cars at the entrance in the morning and at the restaurant in the evening? And not some shabby Volga for the glory of the domestic automobile industry (hello to Nemtsov!), but real cars from the Bavarian Automobile Plant and Mersedes. And you can tint the windows, although legally it’s not possible; and you can run over an old woman at a crossing, and prosecute her relatives for slander and hooliganism.

Eh, a lot of things are possible when it would seem impossible. And there is such a wonderful thing as immunity. It is in incomprehensible India that the untouchable caste is considered outcast, but in our country you have to fight tirelessly and pay seriously for a place in this caste. Immunity! The shining dream of a born criminal. Everyone can't, but I can - what could be sweeter for someone who makes the law, but not one who follows it.

Many of those who really needed to be touched have endowed themselves with immunity, and not with a gentle handshake, but with the stern hand of Nemesis. The president of the country, judges, members of the Federation Council, and deputies of the State Duma enjoy immunity from prosecution. Despite the fact that the immunity of these persons is enshrined in the Constitution, it contradicts the fundamental constitutional principle - the equality of citizens before the law. Indeed, why shouldn’t high-ranking officials be held accountable to the law in the same way as ordinary citizens?

The creators of the laws did not forget to take care of protecting their class from the criminal world. For the same acts, the Criminal Code provides for different penalties, depending on who became the victim - an ordinary citizen or a representative of the authorities. They will give more for a government representative. Insulting an ordinary citizen is punishable by correctional labor for up to six months, and by a representative of government - up to one year. If for the murder of an ordinary person the Criminal Code provides for a term of imprisonment of six to fifteen years, then for an attempt on the life of a statesman or public figure - from twelve to twenty years, or life imprisonment, or the death penalty. By the way, a public figure is not necessarily a representative of the authorities; it can also be the leader of the opposition. However, in any case, these are people of a specially protected class, whose lives are valued by law much higher than the lives of mere mortals.

Now the authorities intend to include journalists in this class. Either hoping to bribe them in this way and bring them closer, or as a reward for obedience and devotion. A few days ago, a member of the Public Chamber, lawyer Pavel Astakhov, said that the Chamber intends to initiate a bill according to which an attack on the life of a journalist will be equated with an attack on the life of a government representative. This means that if a doctor, teacher, tractor driver or farmer is killed in the line of duty, the sentence will be from 6 to 15. And if a policeman, deputy, prosecutor or journalist is killed - from 12 to life. Well, tell me, why is a policeman better than a farmer, or a journalist better than a doctor? The value of human life does not depend on the benefit a person brings to society and the state. (Not to mention the question of who brings more benefit to society - the farmer or the prosecutor?)

The journalistic community has not yet responded to the Public Chamber's proposal. On the one hand, it’s good to be especially protected. On the other hand, it’s nice to realize your exclusivity. Not too much of a privilege, but still a certain privilege. In addition, it is true that journalists are constantly subject to all sorts of attacks for their professional activities - from threats to murder. But does anyone believe that increased liability for the murder of a journalist will stop professional killers?

In addition, it should be noted that journalists are not alone in the professional risk group. The situation is not much better with human rights activists, janitors (migrant workers), lawyers, and collectors. You can include them all in the list of especially protected ones. But we can agree that the value of life does not depend on the profession.