Nonprofit with links to Russian officials proposes State Duma legalize seizure of foreign agents’ property
The National Historical Heritage Protection Foundation, an organization whose founders include Russian State Duma First Deputy Speaker Ivan Melnikov, has proposed amending Russia’s Criminal Code to allow the state to seize the property of people and entities who authorities have dubbed “foreign agents.”
A letter from the foundation to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin reads as follows:
Both in Russia and abroad, there are media figures, as well as citizens with the status of foreign agent, who, either due to their own personal convictions or for monetary compensation, allow themselves to speak out negatively and falsely about the actions of the Russian Armed Forces or to call openly for domestic unrest, criticizing the decisions made by our country’s leadership. This violates the principles of national security and social justice. Many Russian citizens support the initiative to amend the Russian Constitution to allow the property of this category of citizens to be confiscated and converted to state revenue.
The foundation’s director, Alexander Karabanov, told TASS that seizing property from “foreign agents” and people convicted of “discrediting” the Russian military will “help maintain a unified opinion in society regarding the political development strategy” and will be an “effective filter against reckless actions.”