State Duma Multiplies Extremists
// Deputies suggest a ban on criticizing authorities
Council of State Duma is to consider amendments to the law “About counteracting extremist activities,” which will enlarge the list of extremist activity features, and will, in fact, allow authorities to accuse of extremism any opposition. Together with the previous suggestion in Duma not to admit candidates, exposed as extremists, to elections, this initiative enables the Kremlin to eliminate unreliable parties, politicians, and mass media before the next federal election.
Fourteen Duma deputies from all five factions signed the amendments to the law “About counteracting extremist activities.” Authors of the draft suggested the enlargement of the first article of the law which settles the definition of the term “extremist activities.” In particular, they suggested that extremism should include “impeding the legal activities of federal authorities” together with “violence or threat to use it”, and “public slander of individuals acting for a public office of Russia or its constituent subject, connected to accusing this individual of capital offense and felony.”
In other words, after the amendments are passed, such actions of radical opposition as the seizure of Presidential Administration reception room by National-Bolsheviks will be considered not mass rioting as before, but obvious extremism. Speeches of opposition leaders, where they accuse Russian president, Prime minister, other ministers, regional and federal deputies, of corruption and breach of human rights, will fall into the same category. Then the legally provided procedure comes into force: a “guilty” party or public organization receives a warning, and if it repeats the offense, it will be dissolved upon court order.
Besides, the deputies say in their explanatory note that “not only direct calls for extremist activity” should be considered extremism, but also “public speeches which induce to carry out or let in the possibility of extremist activities.” This point concerns mass media rather than politicians, because any article may be thus found extremistic, for instance if the journalist admits of a possibility of an “orange revolution” in Russia should the government continue its current policy.
Another purpose of the initiative might be eliminating unreliable parties and politicians from the next federal election. This draft, in combination with the package of amendments to election legislation previously submitted to the Duma, allowing the refusal to register candidates “guilty of extremist speeches,” will enable the government to neutralize practically any opposition party before the elections.
Most active opponents of the regime agree with this version. National-Bolshevik party spokesman Alexander Averin told Kommersant that some points of the draft were written specifically for his party. “It is flattering that the government is afraid of us, but this crazy legislation will not save the authorities. Let them initiate new cases against us—they will never wash themselves clean after these cases,” said Averin.
Marina Litvinovich, advisor of United Civil Front leader Garri Kasparov, told Kommersant that “the State Duma and those who suggested such amendments are making a big mistake.” “Authorities do not leave the chance for protest activities, for legal opposition as a political force taking part in politics and elections,” explained Litvinovich. “The whole world acts vice versa, so that protest politics becomes parliamentary.” Litvinovich believes the government only intensifies street opposition by its actions, and lets this opposition to accuse it of rocking the boat.
Lawyer of the Union of Right Forces Vadim Prokhorov called new amendments a total lawlessness from the point of view of the Constitution, and the breach of freedom of press, and the right to elect and be elected.
Prokhorov believes these are “laws to protect the monarch, and according to these foolish laws Vladislav Surkov, [Deputy Head of Presidential Administration.—Kommersant] and those with him, will decide who is admitted to elections, and who is not. This selectiveness exists now as well, but it is still illegal. The amendments, however, will make it legal not to admit anyone to elections, on any far-fetched charges. Only those who praise Putin may now feel safe.” Prokhorov is convinced that by making these amendments, “the government does not persecute extremism, but cleans out the political environment by pseudolegal methods.” “The unconstitutionality of such laws does not trouble the government, but the next regime will cancel these laws,” concluded Prokhorov.
Pavel Krasheninnikov, chairman of State Duma’s Committee on civil, criminal, arbitration, and procedural legislation, told Kommersant he had not yet read the draft, but he believes the anti-extremism law “needs to be improved.”: “The law has been in practice since 2002, but extremism in Russia is ahead of legislators and law-enforcing officials.” Krasheninnikov does not exclude the enlargement of the definition of “extremist activities”: “The more criteria there are, the less abuse of power by law-enforcing officials. The question is only in the measure.”
The opposition was not assured by this opinion. Deputy Chairman of the Communist party of Russia Ivan Melnikov was greatly surprised to see Communists among the authors of the draft. He told Kommersant that he sees “interconnected actions of the Public Chamber and United Russia, joined by a common plan to fight corruption.” He reminded that it was the members of the Public Chamber who raised “the subject of extremism”, having suggested on June 6 “to refuse registration for elections of candidates and parties who use ‘extremist vocabulary’”. The enlarged explanation of extremism is in the draft in order “not to let opposition express its attitude to the ruling party,” said Melnikov.
Independent State Duma deputy Viktor Pokhmelkin believes that “authorities are simply afraid of an open political competition, and so, they control the leading mass media and have the support of the audience.” That is why he called the draft an expression of “political cowardice”. President of INDEM fund Georgy Satarov sees the same reason—“the irrational fear”—for the draft. This fear, he noticed, has given rise to the trend of “sealing the boiler”, with some recent developments in this policy. He said, the government will achieve only one result by “sealing the boiler”—“the boiler will soon explode.”
Maria-Luiza Tirmaste, Viktor Khamraev, Petr Stolyarov
All the Article in Russian as of June 15, 2006
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