The Ministry of Justice demanded that the Anti-Russian Separatist Movement be recognized as an extremist organization

According to the department, the movement’s activities are aimed at “destructing the multinational unity and territorial integrity of Russia.”

On April 26, 2024, it became known that the Russian Ministry of Justice demanded that the Anti-Russian Separatist Movement and its structural divisions be recognized as extremist organizations. The Supreme Court of Russia registered the corresponding claim on April 17; the hearing of the case is scheduled for June 7.

As the Ministry of Justice states, the “Anti-Russian separatist movement” is an international movement “to destroy the multinational unity and territorial integrity of Russia.” It is unknown which specific structural units are included in it.

The statement of claim of the Ministry of Justice has not been published, but it can be assumed that we are talking about another “rubber” ban, i.e. banning a certain non-existent organization, which will make it possible to prosecute a wide range of different activists and ordinary citizens in different regions of Russia. Such decisions include the recognition of the “AUE subculture” andthe “international LGBT movement” as extremist organizations, as well as the banning of the “Columbine movement” as a terrorist organization. Indeed, a single organization with a common structure called the “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement” obviously does not exist. By such a movement, the Ministry of Justice probably means a combination of various organizations and activist initiatives, both advocating the secession of different regions from Russia, and, quite possibly, regionalist ones.

We believe that such a ban will jeopardize not only separatists who advocate the separation of certain regions from Russia by military means, but also those who exclusively in a peaceful manner conduct discussions about the status of a particular territory and even about the expansion of its rights, in including cultural ones, as part of Russia.

These prosecutions can be carried out both administratively and criminally. In addition to Art. 20.3.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, 280.1 and 280.2 of the Criminal Code, which imply responsibility directly for calls for actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of Russia, after recognizing the “Anti-Russian separatist movement” as an extremist organization, prosecution under Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences, 282.2 and 282.4 of the Criminal Code.

Let us remind you that, from our point of view, restrictions are permissible only in the case of calls for violent separatism; peaceful discussion about the status of a particular territory should not be limited.

Sources

• Notice of the time and place of consideration of the administrative case (June 7, 2024) // Ministry of Justice of Russia. 2024. April 26.
• Administrative case card No. AKPI24-342SS // Supreme Court of Russia. 2024. April 18.