Moscow, Russia: In addition to establishing a potential life sentence for high treason, Russian legislators on Tuesday toughened the penalty for crimes that have been used to suppress opponents.
The action was taken one day after opposition leader and Kremlin sceptic Vladimir Kara-Murza was given a 25-year prison term for treason-related offences related to his criticism of the Ukrainian invasion.
The maximum sentence for “high treason” has been changed from 20 years to life in prison.
Since Putin dispatched soldiers to Ukraine more than a year ago, the Russian government has stepped up its repression of opposition groups.
The majority of the Kremlin’s main rivals have either left the country or are now detained.
The amendments also increase penalties for “terrorism” and sabotage.
Russia’s top opposition politician Alexei Navalny — currently serving a nine-year prison sentence — was last year added to the government’s list of “terrorists and extremists”.
The Duma, the lower house of parliament, also moved to penalise “assistance in executing the decisions of international organisations in which Russia does not participate, or foreign government agencies”.
The new charges — which come after the International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin — will be punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to monitoring group OVD-Info, the text of the article is “very broad” and could penalise “facilitating the execution of judicial decisions as well as the investigation of war crimes”.
Russian troops have been accused of multiple atrocities during Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
The bill will need the approval of the upper house of parliament and Putin’s signature before it becomes law.
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