Revision of the sixth Duma

Three "liberal verdict": Dadin, Osipova, Chudvets. What are they connected with?

The only convicted person under the article for violation of the rules of rallies, Ildar Dadin, unexpectedly for everyone, was released by decision of the Supreme Court. After almost a week, the same instance sent for a new consideration the case of Evgenia Chudnovets, a kindergarten teacher in the Kurgan region, convicted of repost, a video of a mockery of a child (Chudelovets, recall, was indignant at the content of the video). On the same day, on February 28, Taisiya Osipova, activist of another Russia, received parole, who was sentenced to 8 years in prison for drug storage in 2011. Osipova’s husband Sergei Fomchenkov is currently one of the commanders of the Armed Forces of the “DPR”.

These court decisions concern very different cases. But the listed in such a sequence produce a very specific media effect: a certain reversal has been outlined in the law enforcement system, someone even writes-"liberals broke into the courts." From a purely punitive and consumer system, Russian law enforcement practice, at least with the example of sign and noisy deeds, is carefully distanced. It demonstrates that in Russia, cancellations of repressive sentences and other signs of humanism are possible.

What is it connected with? On the one hand, the case of Dadina mainly falls into the election canvas - it is necessary to release a troublesome so as not to annoy the small but loud layer of the intelligentsia on the eve of 2018. But to explain the revision of the Chudnovets or Udo Osipova case with these political “laws of the genre”. They do not go out for pickets for a Chudnovets in Moscow, except that they grumble on social networks - on her “place of crime”. Attention to Osipova’s case is zero in recent years, and the status of her husband-companion makes the political meaning of what is happening ambiguous. It is difficult to assume that this is a belated gratitude to the family of “other Russia” activists for participating in “Russian Spring”.

The “liberal turn”, which these events hint at, can be associated with the audit of the Sixth Duma’s heritage, the current conductors of Russian politics, represented by both new deputies and the new presidential administration, may not always be delighted with the lawmaking that they went to the era of 2011-2016. And the point is not that the current players of Russian politics have other beliefs - it simply turns out that playing by the rules of the sixth Duma is, in principle, it is impossible and even dangerous. Therefore, the efforts of lawmakers have to correct a little in practice-this is not a stop signal, but the team slightly knock down the pace.

At the same time, it is perhaps not worth it to deceive liberalism. Despite the sluggish talk about the possible abolition of the criminal article under which Dadin was convicted, there were not even introduced specific bills to the Duma. Humanism against Dadin happened when he served and complained about torture. So now every citizen of Russia will think well before going to the rally - not everyone can survive such attacks of "sudden liberalism." The criminal article for the protesters may well be left in force, but they will not use it-at least for some time. The thing is good, why throw it away?

But be that as it may, we will rejoice that the sentences cancel, citizens sit less. And what to be cannibals, it seems, is not so fashionable.