"I completed the task"

The Ministry of Justice left the curator for NGOs, who hunted for "foreign agents"

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin “dismissed” the first deputy minister of justice Sergei Gerasimov. The reason for dismissal is not called, but with a high degree of probability it can be argued that Gerasimov is waiting for a new appointment - to another significant position.

Sergei Gerasimov received the post of deputy minister of justice in October 2014. Prior to this, he held various positions in the presidential administration for 10 years, and in 2011 he was unexpectedly appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, becoming the only official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of this level without shoulder straps. At the same time, Gerasimov overshadowed the sparkling areas of activity of the department - was one of the ideologists of the police reform and was responsible for the re -certification of all employees of the internal affairs bodies.

“From the point of view of the expectations of society, Gerasimov failed, but he fulfilled the order of the authorities. The difficult task was: under the guide of the humanization, liberalization and professionalization of the police, to retort it to the federal center, eliminating double subordination to the governors, and intensively militarized ...

... This is such a “general” on special assignments of the president, ”said lawyer Pavel Chikov.

Later, as the first deputy minister of justice, Sergei Gerasimov sharply changed his sphere of activity and dealt with the issue of non -profit organizations. His appointment coincided with the departure from the Ministry of People who blocked the application of the Law on Foreign Agents (the First Deputy Minister Alexander Smirnov and the Deputy Department of the Department of NGO Affairs Tatyana Vagina). It was Gerasimov that signed documents on the inclusion of certain organizations in the register of foreign agents.

Besides,

Sergei Gerasimov called on citizens of the country to participate in the identification of "undesirable" non -profit organizations.

Gerasimov also argued with the Prosecutor General about the constitutionality of Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for liability for repeated violation of the rules of mass events. Recall that the first Ildar Dadin was the first convicted under this article in Russia. And although the Prosecutor General’s Office agreed with Dadin’s arguments not to be repeatedly convicted of the same act, Gerasimov did not see any contradictions in the law.

“It is obvious that the repeated commission of administrative offenses by a person who was previously brought to administrative responsibility for the commission of similar offenses indicates a non -distinction between administrative punishment, in connection with which the need to apply criminal liability measures may arise,” he said then the media.

The result of the three years of Gerasimov’s work in the department was the self -destruction of the majority of the NGOs included in the Ministry of Justice in the register of “foreign agents”.

New Gazeta talked with representatives of non -profit organizations about the dismissal of an official.

Pavel Chikov

Head of the International Human Rights Group "Agora"

- The Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov was the idea that the law “On foreign agents” was bad, was clear. The department at the time of the appointment of Gerasimov systematically built relations with NGOs, but was faced with the need to apply repressive legislation. Since then, 95% of organizations included in the List of the Ministry of Justice ceased to exist. Gerasimov completed his task in the ministry. I have no doubt that he will receive a new position and a new task.

Ella Polyakova

Chairman of the human rights organization "Soldiers' mothers of St. Petersburg"

- I can’t say that with the advent of Gerasimov the law on NPOs began to be strictly applied, the director of the Department of NPO, Vladimir Titov, also participated in this. Gerasimov is a performer, and I do not know how many such performers in the Ministry of Justice. But for me, his dismissal is a sign that now the pressure on non -profit organizations has weakened a little.