The State Duma changed its mind about imprisoning for the implementation of sanctions against Russia

The Council of the State Duma decided to postpone consideration of the initiative to introduce criminal penalties for the implementation of Western sanctions in Russia. According to Interfax, the document was included in the procedure of the State Duma for consideration in the first reading on June 8, June 9, June 14 and June 15, but was never discussed.

In April, a group of deputies and senators submitted for consideration a document equating compliance with the sanctions of a foreign state with abuse of power (Part 2 of Article 201 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Those who violated the norm were proposed to be punished with a fine in the amount of up to a million rubles or in the amount of the income of the convicted person for a period of up to five years, or with forced labor for up to five years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for up to three years, or with imprisonment for up to ten years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years.

The government called excessive punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years, and also expressed disagreement that the implementation of sanctions should generally be considered an abuse of power.

The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) in its response indicated that such a law threatens to deprive Russians of goods and services. “The RSPP is already receiving requests from Russian companies about the intention of large foreign investors to curtail joint multi-billion dollar investment projects in Russia if the bill is adopted,” — warned merchants.