State Duma decides to cancel punishment for crimes committed in Ukraine "in the interests of russia"

Deputies of the State Duma of the russian federation have approved in the first reading a bill that removes criminal responsibility for crimes in the occupied territories of Ukraine, if they were committed to protect the interests of russia. This was reported by the Lawyer Street russian journalistic project.

The bill refers to actions committed in the territories of the self-proclaimed "DNR" and "LNR", as well as in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts until September 30, 2022. But this date is indicated in only one part of the article, so when read literally, the bill does not set time limits for non-prosecution, - the media outlet notes.

The next part of the bill contains the following provision:

"It is not a criminal and punishable act, the responsibility for which is established by the regulatory legal acts of Ukraine, if it contains signs of a crime provided for by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but is aimed at protecting the interests of the Russian Federation, the "DNR", the "LNR" or the legally protected interests of citizens or organizations of the Russian Federation, the DNR, the LNR, population and organizations of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts".

Lawyer Mikhail Benyash called the provision "absolutely creepy":

"It turns out that the judge will be able to release a person from criminal liability for absolutely any crime, simply because he considers the action directed "in defense of the interests of the Russian Federation".

There are no explanations of what exactly "in favor of the Russian Federation" means in the bill.

Let us recall that in early December, an amendment to the Constitution was submitted to the State Duma, according to which any atrocities of the invaders will not be recognized as a crime if they "were aimed at protecting the interests of the Russian Federation".