Law tightened in Russia
War critics face up to 15 years in prison
03/14/2023, 4:00 p.m
The Kremlin has been restricting freedom of speech in Russia for months. Now critics of the army are to be punished even more severely. Everyone who “guarantees the security of the country” is protected from “provocation and lies”.
More than a year after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is expanding its already controversial law to punish “defamation” or “discrediting” of its own fighters. There are now severe penalties not only for criticizing the army, but also for “volunteers” fighting in the neighboring country.
“All those who risk their lives today to guarantee the security of the country and its citizens are now protected from provocations and lies,” Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel after the laws were passed. A conviction under the new law carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
The tightening of the law is mainly due to a demand from the head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. He had recruited rows of criminals for the war. The 61-year-old asked politicians to protect the mercenaries – who are officially considered volunteers – from defamation.
In the past few months, the Russian leadership has massively curtailed freedom of expression in its own country in connection with its war of aggression against Ukraine. A number of opponents of the war have been sentenced to several years in prison in recent months for allegedly “discrediting the Russian army”. Internationally, many are considered political prisoners.