14:31, March 19, 2024Source: 

State Duma of the Russian Federation

The State Duma immediately adopted in the second and third readings two bills that exempt from criminal liability those who have entered into a contract with the Russian armed forces.

One bill introduces a number of new articles into the criminal and criminal procedure codes, describing the categories of those who can be exempt from criminal liability when concluding a contract. These are those who have committed a crime of minor or moderate gravity and are under investigation or trial, as well as those who have already been sentenced.

The second document supplements the laws on military training and mobilization and determines the procedure for action by federal executive authorities.

Mobilized and contract soldiers will be released from criminal liability either from the day they receive a state award for service or from the date of dismissal. The cases of those under investigation will be suspended, and the punishment of those who have already received a sentence will be changed to a suspended sentence. In addition, the conclusion of the contract will allow those who had one to have a criminal record removed. Control over the behavior of those released from criminal liability will be carried out by the command of the military unit.

The bill spells out a number of articles with which it will not be possible to conclude a contract. These include, in particular, articles on extremism, terrorism, calls for violation of territorial integrity, treason and cooperation with an “undesirable organization.” Also, those who have committed crimes against the sexual integrity of minors will not be able to sign a contract (as Mediazona notes , this does not apply to those accused of sexualized violence against adults).

One of the authors of the initiative, head of the Duma Committee on Legislation and State Construction Pavel Krasheninnikov, explained that the bill makes it possible to conclude a contract for those who are under investigation, on trial, or against whom a sentence has already been passed. The bill will come into force after it is approved by the Federation Council and signed by the president.

The bill, which exempts mobilized and conscripts from criminal liability, was approved by the State Duma in the first reading on March 12, 2024. A similar law that existed before also made it possible to conclude a contract with those who were under investigation, serving a sentence or had a criminal record, but only applied to those who committed crimes before the law came into force.

When introducing the bill, Pavel Krasheninnikov explained that the previous law “is temporary,” but practice has shown that the proposed norms can be “included in separate articles of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.”

(C)MEDUZA 2024