Amnesty International denounced on Thursday new legislative amendments in Russia that strengthen the fight against extremism. The organization emphasized that new bills that allow groups to be declared “extremist” without a court decision and penalize searching for or accessing “extremist materials” online pave the way for the ruthless persecution of the opposition and other critics of the government.
On July 15, the Russian parliament (State Duma) approved amendments tightening the country’s anti-extremism laws. Under one of the new provisions, any group—including informal associations—can now be designated as an “extremist organization” without a separate court ruling, provided at least one member has previously been convicted under Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code for creating or participating in an “extremist association.” The amendments also propose allowing extremist communities to be added directly to the Ministry of Justice’s official list of extremist organizations.
Another amendment proposes adding a new Article 13.53 to the Russian Administrative Code. The article provides that individuals will face a fine of between 3,000 and 5,000 roubles (approximately $38 to $64) for “deliberately searching for extremist materials.” As noted by the human rights organization Network Freedoms, it will be possible to find out the search history and website visits of internet users from search engine owners, telecom operators, and Wi-Fi hotspot administrators, who “are required by law to secretly cooperate with law enforcement agencies by collecting and transmitting search query statistics.” The legislature also proposed to impose heavy fines for advertising VPN services. The fines ranged up to 80,000 rubles (approximately $1,025) for individuals, up to 150,000 rubles ($1,900) for officials, and 200,000 to 500,000 rubles ($2,560 to $6,400) for legal entities.
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, warned that if both bills become law, the authorities will have virtually unlimited power to prosecute individuals for even the slightest connection to so-called “extremists,” and Russian society will become increasingly isolated from any information or views that the government considers “dangerous.” She stated, “The Russian authorities are disguising their relentless persecution of dissent as countering ‘extremism’ through vague and overly broad legislation, that allows for abusive interpretation and arbitrariness.” Struthers urged lawmakers not to adopt the new laws as they violate the Russian Constitution and the country’s international obligations with respect to human rights.
The new amendments are part of a broad crackdown on dissent that has unfolded in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022, raising concerns about the deterioration of the human rights situation and freedom of expression in Russia. Rights groups have emphasized that authorities are using repressive legislation to determine opposition and government critics as “foreign agents” and “undesirable persons” to further persecute them and hold them in custody. Meanwhile, advocates note that military censorship laws serve to suppress criticism of the war, allow for the confiscation of property, and punish individuals for “undermining state security.”
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New Russia anti-extremism amendments spark concerns over increased crackdown on dissent – JURIST Legal News
