To the state Duma a bill introducing criminal liability for abuse of official symbols of Russia. The author of the initiative became Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on physical culture, sport, tourism and youth Affairs Valery Gazzaev, according to TASS on Wednesday, January 25.
The document, which is available to the Agency, proposes to equate the desecration of flags and coats of arms of the region to the desecration of state symbols. For him, the culprit can be punished in the form of imprisonment for the term up to one year of forced labor for the same period or arrest for 3-6 months. Amendments imposing the same punishment for the desecration of the symbols of the regions be invited to amend the criminal code of Russia.
“When the next hooligans at a sporting event cynically, for the camera, mock the flag of a region, to publicly desecrate the flag, tearing it to pieces, trampled, burned directly into the stadium, the police can incriminate those persons disorderly conduct or violation of the rules of fire safety”, — said the Deputy-spravoross.
He emphasizes that all Russians, regardless of nationality, flags of their regions — “the same shrines as the flag of Russia.” Disrespect to them is equivalent to “insulting the entire multinational Russian people,” said Gazzaev.
A similar bill introducing criminal punishment for desecration of symbols of the subjects, was submitted to the state Duma of the sixth convocation in 2013, Deputy Magomed Selimkhanov (“United Russia”). The lower house of Parliament rejected the initiative because of non-compliance of the rules.