MOSCOW, June 9 (Itar-Tass) – A law tightening responsibility for civic offences during public actions has taken effect in Russia.
The official daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta publishes it in the Friday issue.
Initially, the bill on public gatherings, meetings, demonstrations, marches, and manifestations envisioned penalties of up to 1.5 million rubles /USD 1=RUB 33.5/ for infringements on public law and order during mass public actions but the amount was slashed later to 300,000 rubles for private individuals and 600,000 rubles for officials.
The previous penalties for the same offences totaled 2,000 rubles and 50,000 rubles.
The law introduces a new type of punishment – gratuitous compulsory works, which may be administered to an individual by a court for up to four hours a day during spare time. The total length of such works many vary from 20 hours to 200 hours.
The penalty does not apply to pregnant women, the women having children of up to three years old, and the individuals on disability schemes of categories I and II.
Simultaneously, the law introduces the so-called diversified principle of the application of sanctions. While hiking the penalties for offences during public actions, it says that the financial penal sanctions under other articles of the Code of Administrative Offences cannot exceed 5,000 rubles for individuals and 50,000 rubles for officials.
On the other hand, the law also specifies penalties for officials “for impeding the organization of a legal action or demonstration.” The fines for this will vary from 10,000 rubles to 20,000 rubles.
Encroachments on law and order during authorized public actions will be punished by fees of 10,000 to 20,000 rubles or by up to 40 hours of compulsory works.
Organizers of public gatherings, no notifications on which are submitted to the authorities in advance, will have to pay fines of 20,000 rubles to 40,000 rubles if they are government officials. Legal entities will pay from 70,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles.
This implies de facto punishments for the so-called ‘public thronging’ and MPs meetings with voters.
If the actions of the organizers produce hindrances for pedestrians and/or street transport and necessitate the summoning of extra police troops, the individuals will pay fines of 30,000 rubles to 50,000 rubles. The fines for officials stand at 50,000 rubles to 100,000 rubles and for legal entities, from 250,000 rubles to 500,000 rubles.