Russian lawmakers move forward with legislation to criminalize assisting organizations like the International Criminal Court

Draft legislation designed as a retaliation against the International Criminal Court has won committee approval in Russia’s State Duma, where lawmakers are moving forward with amendments that would introduce felony liability for “assisting in the implementation of decisions by international organizations to which Russia is not a party.”

Specifically, the legislation would impose steep fines and prison sentences of up to five years for the offense of “aiding in the execution of rulings by international organizations” regarding the criminal prosecution of Russian state officials, soldiers, or volunteers. These amendments have been added to the second reading of a bill that would allow specially trained Russian soldiers to participate in peacekeeping activities.

On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of unlawfully deporting children from occupied areas of Ukraine to inside Russia. Following this announcement, Russian officials vowed to ban the activities of the ICC and other international groups bent on “harming Russia and its citizens.”