In the United States, punishment for foreign agents is provided not only for malicious, but also other violations of the law, while in Russia, punishment is threatened solely for malicious evasion of obligations to submit documents necessary for inclusion in the register of foreign agents. This was announced on December 24 by the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“You can’t leave a malicious violation unpunished. No country can allow this to happen, ”the press secretary of the head of state emphasized.
Peskov also suggested that journalists who asked him to comment on this issue “methodically formulate a point of view” and publish it.
According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a discussion is necessary if these provisions of the legislation raise questions.
During a large press conference on December 23, Putin recalled that the law on foreign agents was invented in the United States.
Putin stressed that no one is prohibited from working in Russia, the authorities want organizations that are engaged in political activities in the Russian Federation to declare their sources of funding.
On December 9, the head of state said that the instruments regulating the activities of foreign agents in Russia should be legally verified to see if they harm the work of Russian NGOs. On the same day, the President of Russia pointed out the need to assess how the law on foreign agents functions and what it leads to. According to him, work on relevant initiatives requires accuracy.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was adopted in the United States in 1938, provides for punishment for non-compliance in the form of imprisonment for up to five years, and in some cases it is possible to collect a fine of up to $ 250 thousand ( 18.18 million rubles at the current exchange rate of the Central Bank of Russia).
Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of Russia provides that a foreign agent can be fined up to 300 thousand rubles. Also, a foreign agent who has maliciously violated the legislation of the Russian Federation can be imprisoned for up to two years.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
