The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 15 July that the Russian government has proposed legislation that would expand the criteria for designating individuals as terrorists or extremists, potentially enabling broader censorship of criticism regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to the ISW, on 15 July, a bill was submitted to the State Duma that would increase the number of Criminal Code articles under which the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring) could add people to Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists.
Rosfinmonitoring reportedly would be able to add individuals convicted of spreading “fakes” about the Russian military out of political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred to the list.
The bill would also allow the addition of people accused of committing “other crimes” motivated by similar forms of hatred, granting the government significant discretion in designating individuals as terrorists and extremists.
The move comes as the Kremlin has attempted to portray Russia as a harmonious multinational and multireligious society despite recent increases in xenophobic rhetoric from Russia’s ultranationalist community.
“The Russian government is likely looking to change the mechanisms for adding people to the terrorist and extremist list to incentivize Russians to engage in self-censorship,” the ISW reports. This appears to be part of efforts to tighten control over criticism in Russian society, especially regarding the war in Ukraine.
The proposal is framed as part of efforts to ensure political and religious freedom and societal harmony in Russia. However, ISW says it could be used to stifle dissent and limit free speech.
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