In Russia, the punishment for acts of sabotage and undermining the social order is being increased to up to life imprisonment. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin signed the relevant amendments today, according to the publication on the official law portal. Accordingly, not only acts of sabotage themselves can be punished, but also the financing, solicitation and preparation of coups and other “subversive acts”.
The tightening of the law takes place once morest the background of the Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine. After the outbreak of war, there were a series of attacks in Russia. Especially following the mobilization called by Putin, the wave of attacks intensified. Up until November alone, attacks on more than 75 public buildings were registered, including more than 50 military commissariats.
Civil rights organizations complain that the vague wording and different interpretations of laws give the authorities great scope for persecuting the opposition and those who think differently. In recent months, many war critics have been sentenced to long prison terms under the pretext of “discrediting the Russian army”.
