Press Release, 16.03.2023

Photo by chikennnsem@gmail.com/depositphotos

Artur Gaiduk, Yabloko MP in the Pskov Regional Assembly, exercising the right of regional parliaments to initiate bills in the State Duma, submitted to the Pskov regional parliament a draft resolution for the State Duma “On Announcing an Amnesty”. Yabloko proposes to release from serving their sentences those who were brought to criminal responsibility for the first time or convicted for the first time under articles on “fakes about the army”, “discrediting the army” and “calls for sanctions against Russia”. A similar draft resolution was submitted on 7 March by the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma.

The explanatory note to the bill runs that, in accordance with the drafts, the amnesty covers not only prisoners, but also those sentenced to punishments not related to deprivation of liberty, probationers, people whose sentences have been suspended, and those who have been released on parole.

The drafts also regulate the procedure for release from serving a sentence and termination of criminal cases.

“You cannot bring people to criminal responsibility for the spoken word. In our country, the right to have one’s own opinion and to express this opinion is guaranteed by the Constitution. These people do not belong to criminal communities, they did not commit crimes against a person. They were prosecuted for speaking freely. Political parties, public organisations, the media and individuals have the right to criticise the actions of the authorities if they do not agree with these actions and consider them wrong,” Artur Gaiduk commented on the legislative initiative.