New Russian bill would allow government to seize property of citizens abroad convicted of misdemeanor offenses

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, announced Sunday that the State Duma plans to begin reviewing a bill in mid-May that would “tighten administrative liability for those residing abroad.”

In a post on Telegram, Volodin said that the proposal would make it possible to bring misdemeanor charges against individuals outside the country if they commit offenses “directed against Russia’s interests.”

Volodin said the measure would apply to all categories of misdemeanor offenses and listed the following examples:

• promoting or publicly displaying Nazi insignias or symbols;
• discrediting the Russia Armed Forces;
• abusing freedom of speech and spreading disinformation;
• failing to meet one’s obligations as the owner of a social media platform.

To prevent those charged from “evading court rulings,” Volodin wrote, the bill would allow for the seizure of their property.

The speaker did not clarify whether the draft legislation has already been submitted to the Duma or is still being prepared.

In April, the State Duma passed a law allowing Russian citizens who have left the country to be tried in absentia for 20 types of offenses. Previously, trials in absentia were only permitted for serious and especially serious crimes. The new law expands this to include certain minor and mid-level offenses, such as charges of spreading “disinformation” or “discrediting” the military, rehabilitating Nazism, inciting terrorism or extremism, violating Russia’s territorial integrity, organizing mass unrest, or instigating an aggressive war.