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MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers on Tuesday adopted amendments toughening penalties for criminal charges that have been used to silence critics, including introducing a possible life sentence for high treason.
The move came a day after Kremlin critic and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges including treason over criticism of the Ukraine offensive.
The amendments increase the maximum possible penalty for “high treason” from 20 years to life imprisonment.
Since Putin sent troops to Ukraine over a year ago, Russian authorities have intensified a crackdown on opposition voices.
Almost all of the Kremlin’s major opponents have either fled the country or are in jail.
The amendments also increase penalties for “terrorism” and sabotage.
Russia’s top opposition politician Alexei Navalny — currently serving a nine-year prison sentence — was last year added to the government’s list of “terrorists and extremists”.
The Duma, the lower house of parliament, also moved to penalise “assistance in executing the decisions of international organisations in which Russia does not participate, or foreign government agencies”.
The new charges — which come after the International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin — will be punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to monitoring group OVD-Info, the text of the article is “very broad” and could penalise “facilitating the execution of judicial decisions as well as the investigation of war crimes”.
Russian troops have been accused of multiple atrocities during Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
The bill will need the approval of the upper house of parliament and Putin’s signature before it becomes law.
The move came a day after Kremlin critic and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges including treason over criticism of the Ukraine offensive.
The amendments increase the maximum possible penalty for “high treason” from 20 years to life imprisonment.
Since Putin sent troops to Ukraine over a year ago, Russian authorities have intensified a crackdown on opposition voices.
Almost all of the Kremlin’s major opponents have either fled the country or are in jail.
The amendments also increase penalties for “terrorism” and sabotage.
Russia’s top opposition politician Alexei Navalny — currently serving a nine-year prison sentence — was last year added to the government’s list of “terrorists and extremists”.
The Duma, the lower house of parliament, also moved to penalise “assistance in executing the decisions of international organisations in which Russia does not participate, or foreign government agencies”.
The new charges — which come after the International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin — will be punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to monitoring group OVD-Info, the text of the article is “very broad” and could penalise “facilitating the execution of judicial decisions as well as the investigation of war crimes”.
Russian troops have been accused of multiple atrocities during Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
The bill will need the approval of the upper house of parliament and Putin’s signature before it becomes law.
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