MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a package of bills that introduce new restrictions for foreign agents and harsher pu...
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a package of bills that introduce new restrictions for foreign agents and harsher punishments for crimes that threaten the country's security and sovereignty.
Foreign agents from now on will be unable to work in education and hold management positions in government-controlled corporations. Stricter penalties have been introduced for calls to impose sanctions on Russia if the crime was committed for personal gain.
Below are some key points of the novel legislation, as compiled by TASS.
New grounds for designating a foreign agent
- Citizens who assist in the execution of decisions of international organizations in which Russia does not participate, if those decisions are directed against the security of the Russian Federation, will from now on be designated foreign agents.
- Foreign agent status will also be given for supporting similar decisions by foreign governments.
- Another reason for designating people foreign agents will be their involvement, including minors, in the collection of information on the military-technical activities of the Russian Federation, if the receipt of this information by foreign sources would threaten the security of the country.
Additional restrictions for foreign agents
- From now on, foreign agents may not participate in educational and public awareness activities. A license to work in the field of education will immediately cease to be valid if its holder obtains foreign agent status.
- Foreign agents will no longer be able to enter the bodies that manage government-controlled corporations. This applies to such state corporations as Roscosmos, Rosatom, Rostec and VEB.RF.
- Non-profit organizations that are foreign agents from now on can’t be included in the register of socially oriented NPOs.
- A ban has been established on municipal financial support for foreign agents. Previously, the restriction applied only to government funding.
Punishment for crimes against Russia
- The rules for trials in absentia of persons who are outside Russia have been extended to cover 20 more types of crime. Previously, such trials were applicable only to serious and especially serious cases.
- In particular, trials in absentia can from now on be held in cases involving the destruction of, or damage to military graves and monuments, glorification of Nazism, dissemination of fake narratives about, and discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as well as calls to violate the territorial integrity of Russia.
- Calls to impose or extend sanctions against the Russian Federation, if made for personal gain, will be punished with imprisonment for up to 5 years and a fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($6,000).
- Discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and assisting in the execution of decisions of international organizations in which Russia does not participate carries a prison term of up to 7 years, if the crimes were committed for personal gain.
-News Feed
COMMENTS