Amendments to the Criminal Code have been submitted for consideration by the State Duma, which propose to establish life imprisonment as a penalty for high treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), reported Head of the Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Vasily Piskarev on his Telegram channel. Current legislation provides for up to 20 years in prison under this article.
In addition, MEPs propose to increase the minimum and maximum penalties for several criminal offenses related to terrorism:
under article 205 of the Penal Code (“Terrorist act”), the maximum penalty for committing acts of intimidation creating a threat of death and aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country, will be increased from 15 to 20 years of prison ; under Article 205.1 (“Assistance in Terrorist Activities”), increase the minimum sentence to seven years (currently from 5 to 15 years), the minimum sentence for complicity to 12 years (now from 10 to 20 years); under Article 205.4 (“Organizing and participating in a terrorist community”) will threaten 10 to 15 years in prison (now 5 to 10 years); under Article 281 (“Sabotage”), toughen the penalty for actions aimed at damaging transport infrastructure and life-support facilities of the population, as well as harming people’s health in order to harm economic security and the country’s defense capacity – up to 20 years in prison (now 15 years); under article 361 (“Act of international terrorism”) to set the lower bar of the sentence from 12 years to life (now – from 10 years to life).
In addition to tougher sentences, the amendments also suggest that those convicted under these articles will serve their sentences in facilities with special detention regimes. “Secondly, the right to parole for those who are sentenced to life appears at the earliest after 25 years and subject to exemplary behavior,” Piskarev added.
The amendments are prepared for the one already adopted at first reading. Invoice , which will allow them to be examined quickly, noted the parliamentarian. He also expressed the hope that the proposed changes will be considered by the State Duma in the near future and supported by deputies.
Introduction of amendments to the State Duma, toughening the penalty for high treason, in September 2022 announcement Andrey Lugovoy, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption. This came shortly after the Moscow City Court sentenced Ivan Safronov, ex-adviser to the head of Roscosmos, former Kommersant and Vedomosti correspondent, to 22 years in a strict regime colony and fined 500 000 rubles. on two episodes of the treason affair.
“In these unusual times, this question becomes particularly relevant. It can be firmly said that as a result of treason damage is inflicted not only on the state, but also on the lives of Russian citizens. Therefore, we consider it absolutely justified to introduce a life sentence for treason,” said deputy.
On April 2, an explosion occurred in a St. Petersburg cafe on Universitetskaya Embankment, as a result of which war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky was killed and dozens of other people were injured. Eyewitnesses said that before the explosion, a certain girl presented Tatarsky with a figurine, which, according to preliminary data, contained a bomb. The next day, security forces arrested Darya Trepova (Daria Trepova) , a 26-year-old Petersburger, who confessed to bringing the figurine to the institution. On the fact of the incident, the investigative committee first opened a murder case, but quickly reclassified it as a terrorist attack.
After that, the head of the Duma security committee, Vasily Piskarev reminded that amendments will soon be introduced in the lower house of parliament establishing tougher penalties for terrorism-related crimes. The MP noted that anyone who plots, plans a terrorist act, aids or simply justifies terrorists should not escape the harshest punishment.
