A bill on the symbols of organizations that collaborated with the Nazis was adopted in the third reading

On October 24, 2014, the State Duma adopted in the third reading bill introducing liability for the display of symbols organizations that collaborated with the Nazis.

On October 24, 2014, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted in third reading bill No. 478164-6 "On Amendments to Article 20.3 Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses (in part clarification of the composition of the administrative offense).

The document in the form in which it is formulated for the third reading is included in the text of the Federal Law "On perpetuating the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 years" additions establishing responsibility not only for propaganda and public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols similar to confusingly Nazi, or symbols of extremist organizations, but also for propaganda and public demonstration of paraphernalia or symbols " organizations collaborating with groups, organizations, movements or individuals recognized as criminal or guilty of crimes in accordance with with the verdict of the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg Tribunal) or judgments by national, military or occupation tribunals based on the verdict of the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg Tribunal) or issued during the Great Patriotic War, World War II "and " organizations (including foreign or international), denying the facts and conclusions established by the verdict of the International Military Tribunal for the trial and punishment of the main war criminals of the European Axis countries (the Nuremberg Tribunal) or by the verdicts of national , military or occupation tribunals, based on the verdict of the International Military Tribunal for the trial and punishment of the main war criminals of the European Axis countries (Nuremberg Tribunal) or issued during the Great Patriotic War, World War II " . The proposed wording of Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for sanctions for propaganda Nazi, extremist symbols, as well as " paraphernalia, public the display of which is prohibited by federal law ."

In addition, the project complements "On the perpetuation of the Victory Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" part fifth, providing for the creation of a list of organizations subject to a ban, and their attributes and symbols of these organizations. Its administration will probably be entrusted to the Ministry justice.

Thus, the law "On the perpetuation of the Victory" and Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses will continue to punish both propaganda and any other public display of prohibited symbols, which very often does not have propaganda purposes. New vague wordings, "cooperation" and "denial" will appear in the law, which do not have a legal definition. In addition, apparently due to an error, a completely surprising provision crept into the bill, according to which all symbols and paraphernalia of organizations recognized as criminal by any wartime sentences or denying the content of such are prohibited. In all likelihood, the legislators were aware of the extreme inconvenience of these innovations, so they decided to get out of the situation by entrusting the compilation of a list of "bad" organizations to the Ministry of Justice. Thus, the government will receive another lever of ideological pressure on society. Actually, legislators could give the executive power this opportunity without resorting to such ornate formulations.

Recall that we have no doubt that the nomination of the draft law on symbols is due solely to political reasons, and its very likely, broad interpretation can lead to new unlawful prosecutions.

Sources

• Draft Law No. 478164-6 On Amending Article 20.3 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses (in terms of clarifying the composition of an administrative offense) // Website of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. 2014. October 24.