Civil liberties group petitions Russia’s Constitutional Court to repeal misdemeanor law on ‘discrediting’ military

A group of pro bono civil liberties lawyers working with the advocacy group OVD-Info have petitioned Russia’s Constitutional Court to repeal a law that currently makes it a misdemeanor to criticize the Russian military and its combat operations.

The misdemeanor legislation the group is trying to repeal is different from the criminal law on “discrediting” the armed forces. Both articles of the law, however, belong to a single initiative to discourage public criticism of the Ukraine invasion.

OVD-Info plans to submit a total of 20 separate complaints outlining the discriminatory nature of the misdemeanor article against “discrediting” the Russian army and its command. Ten of them have already been filed.

Civil liberties advocates also point out that the law in question violates Russia’s constitution, which guarantees the freedoms of speech, conscience, and assembly.

According to Mediazona, at least 6,561 misdemeanor cases were opened in Russia since the new laws against “discrediting” the military were adopted last year.