For what they will plant Russians in 2021: a list of new repressions from the State Duma

The State Duma on December 23 in the third reading adopted several new prohibitions. In particular, the deputies propose to declare individuals “foreign agents”, block YouTube for “discrimination” of the Russian media and oblige social networks to independently identify and block “unusual content”. Parliamentarians explain their actions by the fact that they want to establish “additional measures to counteract threats of national security” and “protect citizens from Western censorship”. Is it really so? Explanes experts interviewed by "New".

The Law on "Polars -" Foreign Agents "

The law, which will allow individuals to equate “foreign agents”, developed the commission of the Federation Council and State Duma to “prevent foreign interference in the affairs of Russia” and to “establish additional measures to counteract threats of national security” - this is what it is called in the system of ensuring legislative activity.

According to the bill, individuals who receive foreign financing for political activities (as well as other assistance, including organizational and methodological), as well as unregistered political non-profit organizations (NPOs) with foreign financing and public associations not registered as legal entities, will be recognized as “foreign agents”.

They will be obliged to submit an application to include them in the list of “foreign agents”, and then regularly report to the Ministry of Justice about their activities. In addition, the document obliges the media to celebrate “foreign agents” in its materials. This requirement will not apply to the publication of Internet users and bloggers, the parliamentarians and senators assure.

For violation of reporting to the "Inoagent" may threaten

• Criminal liability -

It will be applied to those who were previously brought to administrative responsibility for not submitting an application for inclusion in the list of “foreign agents”. It threatens

• a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles,

• as well as mandatory work

• Or deprivation of liberty for up to two years.

The most severe punishment-five years of imprisonment-is provided for “foreign agents” who did not notify the Ministry of Justice that they collect information in the field of military and military-technical activities.

Political scientist Alexander Kynev is sure that this

The bill will be applied selectively so that "if necessary, any citizen can be held accountable."

For this, the document is written by “as vast formulations”: “The excessive breadth of the formulations always gives rise to arbitrariness. This is the tradition of authoritarian regimes - the rigidity of laws in the selectivity of their implementation. There would be a man, but there would be an article, ”says the political scientist.

In his opinion, such articles cannot be applied massively, since mass “depreciates the law at the same second and causes a protest”. “An increase in the number of persons who will be subjected to personal repression will sharply increase the number of dissatisfied, ready to participate in protests,” the political scientist is sure. Alexander Verkhovsky, the director of the SOVA information and analytical center, also agrees with him-in his opinion, the Ministry of Justice is going to write down the “foreign agents” of those whom the authorities are going to put pressure on, and this is primarily due to establish additional filters for candidates for the upcoming elections to the State Duma in 2021:

“Under the blow, everyone who will have at least some attitude to the elections will be, it does not matter in what capacity,”-

Says Verkhovsky.

Verkhovsky called the bill on individuals - “foreign agents” “repressive” and expressed the opinion that it is made to “fly the holes” of the previous law on “foreign agents” so that such a group of citizens and a separate citizen could be declared such: “This is very harsh. Foreign assistance, especially individuals, is not necessarily expressed in money, and it is not necessary to come from the state of foreign, but from anyone. ”

The Law on Censorship and "Discrimination" of the Russian Media

Under the law that gives Roskomnadzor to block Internet resources, if they allow “censorship”, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other popular services will fall. The document was made by the members of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, led by its chairman Alexander Khinshtein (United Russia), as well as Senator Alexei Pushkov.

The authors explained that “censorship” by American sites on the Internet were subjected to RT, RIA Novosti and Crimea 24, in total they saw “about 20 discrimination facts”.

Roskomnadzor will maintain a register of platforms limiting the media, and will be able to punish with blocks and slowdown of traffic resources that limit “significant information in Russia on the grounds of nationality, language and origin”. Social networks and sites can fall under the lock. The abolition of sanctions will be possible if the resource removes restrictions from the materials of the Russian media.

The law introduces the status of "the owner of the information resource involved in violations of the fundamental rights and freedoms of a person, the rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian Federation." According to the draft law, the Prosecutor General and his deputies, in agreement with the Russian Foreign Ministry, will be able to assign this status to those who were considered by violators.

The head of the SOVA Center, Alexander Verkhovsky, believes that the law on the protection of the Russian media from the “censorship” of YouTube is “part of the historical confrontation with the malicious West”. “These are our Russian media, why does some Facebook of some California regulate something there? - reproduces the Verkhovsky logic of the thinking of deputies. - These are just fantastic ideas about the Internet. Everyone forgets that this is an American corporation, she has its own rules. ” He expressed the opinion that

An attempt to block YouTube, which is used by several tens of millions of Russian citizens, will be too dangerous for the authorities.

The law that obliges social networks to identify and block "illegitimate content", including obscene abuse

This document is documented from February 1 to limit access to information “expressing“ clear disrespect ”to society, the state, the Constitution of Russia,” as well as “calls for mass riots, extremism and participation in inconsistent public events” or obscene abuse.

Also, according to the bill, social networks will have to monitor the content “in order to identify and block illegal information”. “Illegal information” also means materials with pornographic images, as well as information “inclining children to perform life -threatening and illegal actions”, and data on methods of making drugs and methods of suicide.

Parliamentarians introduced the concept of “social network”-this is an Internet resource, access to which “during the day is more than 500 thousand users in Russia” (it was originally planned to make 100 thousand). The authority to maintain a register of social networks is proposed to give Roskomnadzor.

Social networks will be given 24 hours to decision on blocking prohibited content, including user complaints. If the resource administration has questions, the social network will be able to temporarily block it and contact Roskomnadzor for clarification. Then Roskomnadzor will have to give an answer within three days, after that the content will either be blocked completely or unlock. The bill does not imply sanctions for violation of new requirements.

Alexander Kynev believes that this law will be applied selectively: “It is obvious that no mass application is possible. Over the years, strict laws have been applied many times, in practice almost all of them did not work. ” He recalled that

The authorities have already tried to block telegrams and forced bloggers to register as the media - "and nothing happened."

According to the political scientist, Roskomnadzor “will not be able to make nothing:“ Any normal person uses tools for bypassing locks. The more prohibitions, the more people know how to bypass them, ”the political scientist concluded.

Law on toughening the rules of rallies

The initiator of the bill, which prohibits the finance of public events - rallies and demonstrations in Russia - from foreign sources, as well as anonymously and “foreign agents”, was the deputy from United Russia Dmitry Vyatkin.

The law introduces restrictions on the work of journalists on promotions - they will be forbidden to agitate, collect signatures, use symbols or “other means of public expression of collective or individual opinion”, as well as hide the “sign of a representative of the media”.

A ban on financing shares by foreigners, NPO-“foreigners”, Russians under 16 years old, anonymous donors and legal entities, who were registered less than a year before the event, are established. “Persons who have violated the established procedure for transferring, collecting, returning, spending funds to the organization and holding of a public event are responsible for the legislation of the Russian Federation,” the document says, however, does not specify exactly what punishment the “violators of the law” will bear.

The lawyer of the “Apology of Protest” Alexander Porruk considers such a bill to be redundant: “In practice, I have never encountered any claims related to the financing of public events. As a rule, participants organize everything at their own expense, and this does not require any special investments. Most often, participants spend their time to submit a notification, and spend money to print paraphernalia, provide a scene and sound amplifying equipment, ”the lawyer says.

In his opinion,

New restrictions do not correspond to the “spirit of the Constitution”, which still allows citizens public events.

“The ban on foreign citizens to conduct public events seems to me discriminatory, for this there is no legal basis,” the lawyer continues. - You can even expand perception - there are not only foreign citizens, there are, for example, Apatrides - stateless persons. And what is the problem for them to carry out public events, including financing them? "

The lawyer believes that there is no adequate justification in the explanatory note why such restrictions must be accepted right now: “These are all assumptions, hypotheses, sometimes conspiracy theological constructions, but clearly inadequate analysis of the need to introduce all these restrictions.”

Law on deprivation of liberty for slander

In the second and immediately in the third, final, reading, the deputies adopted a law that provides for the introduction of criminal liability for the spread of slander on the Internet.

Parliamentarians adopted changes in Art. 128.1 of the Criminal Code. They offer for public slander, including through the media or the Internet, to introduce a penalty of up to 1 million rubles or imprisonment for up to two years.

If slander using an official position, it is proposed to introduce a fine of up to 2 million rubles and imprisonment for up to three years. For slander that a person suffers from a disease that is a danger to others, deputies want to introduce a fine of up to 3 million rubles or imprisonment for up to four years.

It is proposed to deprive 5 million rubles or deprive of up to five years for a bit of slander, "combined with the charge of a person of committing a crime against sexual integrity and sexual freedom of an individual or a serious or especially serious crime."

Pavel Chikov, head of the Agora International Human Rights Association, notes that although slander has already been criminal punishment, in the current version, the punishment under Art. 128.1 of the Criminal Code does not provide for a prison term. The maximum measure under the article is a fine of up to 5 million rubles and mandatory work for up to 480 hours.

“An additional basis is introduced in the form of a slander associated with the accusation of sexual violence - this is much more dangerous because

This is actually a certain reaction of the patriarchal, mainly male, Russian state about a large surge in women's complaints about sexual violence from men, ” -

Chikov noted. In his opinion, this is "a threat to a prison for women who will allow themselves to talk about the experience of violence." “That is what stops them from talking about violence,” he said.

Law on "All -Russian Renovation"

The Law on the "integrated development of territories" proposes to disseminate the experience of the Moscow renovation program throughout the country. According to the bill, in addition to dilapidated and emergency housing, non -valid houses may also include in the program if they have a roof or foundation and if the overhaul of the house of roads is inappropriate. The owners of residential premises should participate in the vote about the inclusion of the house in the renovation program, at least two -thirds of the voting participants should speak out in the program.

According to the document, the owners of housing, whose house fell under renovation, promises to provide “equivalent or equivalent” housing or money compensation. However, if the owner of the housing has not signed an agreement on the provision of compensation or a new apartment within 45 days, he may be obliged to relocate through the court. Non -residential premises belonging to private owners will be seized, and their owners promise to pay compensation.

MP Mosgorduma Elena Shuvalova considers the law repressive. “They come up with beautiful words -“ reform ”,“ optimization ”,“ renovation ”, now they came up with the term“ ensuring the integrated development of territories ”.

This forced eviction will be called like that, ”said Shuvalova, adding that“ exposure of property is bad. ”

The deputy chairman of the Yabloko party, Ivan Bolshakov, expressed the opinion that in some matters federal law is worse than Moscow, and stated that the Yabloko party did not support him. “The renovation program is really needed - most residential buildings in the regions do not meet modern standards and ideas about comfort. However, the question in the principles of the implementation of the program and the approach to the term “renovation,” he said.

In his opinion, a significant number of houses can be reconstructed by preserving the owners of the apartment, you can save historical development, and the usual residential environment, and not demolish and build huge skyscrapers that are beneficial to large developers. “It is important to give people the right to choose - to agree to a move or to monetary compensation, and the law adopted by the State Duma deprives people of this right,” he summed up.

“This is actually a violent seizure of property and housing, which the state, according to the Constitution, is obliged to protect,” Bolshakov assured. He added that the problem of all of today's stateliquis is that, making a decision, the authorities do not particularly ask anyone, but the city space is “such a sphere that cannot be created and changed without taking into account the opinions of people”. “Similar laws are the political effect of the adhesion of developers and power,” the deputy chairman of Yabloko assured.

The bill on "intentional blocking of roads"

The State Duma in the second and immediately in the third readings also adopted a bill on criminal liability for the “intentional blocking” of roads and the “creation of interference with movement”.

The author of the initiative is a deputy from United Russia Dmitry Vyatkin. He suggested changing Art. 267 of the Criminal Code "bringing into the worthless vehicles or routes of communication." Now it will provide for responsibility for the “intentional blocking of transport infrastructure facilities” and “obstruction of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians”, if it created a “threat to life, health and safety” or a threat to “destruction or damage to property”.

Punishment - from a fine (100 thousand - 300 thousand rubles) to imprisonment for one year. There are also “aggravating” circumstances, for example, if the security forces considered that the acts led to serious harm, then the “violator” is proposed to be convicted of four years in prison.

Now this article provides for imprisonment (from eight to 10 years) only if the actions led to the death of one or more people.

In a conversation with the “New” OTC-INFO lawyer Vasily Kushnir noted that this bill can significantly limit the rights of citizens during mass shares-rallies, demonstrations. “Everything that is accepted tells us that the authorities are preparing by 2021 (for elections to the State Duma - Ed.) . Barriers are installed so that a person cannot speak publicly, protest and speak out not only about political, but also about social problems, ”said Kushnir.

Tighting an article about "hooliganism"

In the third reading, parliamentarians adopted amendments to an article on hooliganism (Article 213 of the Criminal Code). They provide for the possibility of applying the article in the case of a “gross violation” of public order “using violence to citizens or the threat of its use”.

Such a violation can be punished with a fine of 300 thousand to 500 thousand rubles, mandatory work (up to 480 hours), correctional and forced labor, or by imprisonment for five years. The maximum punishment for hooliganism committed with the use of weapons reaches imprisonment up to seven years.

As noted by lawyer of the ATS-Info Dmitry Sedov “The threat of violence” is a very broad concept and allows us to attract under the article “In any case”:

«После принятия этих законопроектов важным вопросом станет то, как они будут применяться. Теперь задачей для юристов, специализирующихся на вопросах прав человека и, в частности, на вопросах свободы собраний и выражения мнений, важно посредством судебного обжалования, обращений в Конституционный суд и в Европейский суд по правам человека постараться уменьшить негативный потенциал этих однозначно ограничительных поправок», — заявил юрист.