Putin’s New Laws Limit Human Rights in Russia

The Russian State Duma (Lower Parliamentary House) has recently passed legislation restricting peaceful protests. In 2013, approximately 600 people were detained after a peaceful demonstration in Moscow, as a result of these new laws that cause protest organizers and participants to face heavy fines and penalties. The legislation, passed in 2012, additionally requires all NGOs that receive any funding from abroad to register as an „organization that functions as a foreign agent,“ and this designation must appear on all public documents and their website. This requirement is because NGOs fall into the loosely defined category of those pursuing „political activities.“ NGOs additionally must undergo frequent checks, and many organizations have had to pay heavy fines or have members awaiting trial because of these new laws. Additionally, Amnesty International and other NGOs in Moscow have had their offices ransacked.
Further legislation has been passed increasing homophobic laws, including restrictions on the freedom of assembly for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people (LGBTI), while simultaneously encouraging homophobic violence throughout Russia. These laws prohibit the „promotion of non-traditional relationships among minors“ and have high penalties that can be imposed not only on Russians, but also on foreigners.
A blasphemy law was also introduced after the performance by the punk rock group Pussy Riot in the largest Orthodox cathedral in Moscow in 2012. Two of the members of the bank are now in prison serving two-year sentences, as a result of the law punishing defamation of faith with up to three years in prison and defiling places of worship with up to five years. Additionally, desecration of religious symbols or literature is punishable by high monetary fines.