Jail for rehabilitation of Nazism: draft law

Published time: March 30, 2010 11:15
Edited time: June 24, 2010 16:53

A draft law imposing criminal liability of up to five years behind bars for the rehabilitation of Nazism has been submitted to the State Duma by a group of MPs from the ruling United Russia party.

As Russia is preparing to celebrate the 65th anniversary of victory in WWII, the deputies are determined to combat any attempts of rewriting the country’s history.

The parliamentarians, headed by the speaker of the house Boris Gryzlov, suggested amendments to the country’s penal law. The idea is to include a new article – “The Rehabilitation of Nazism” – into Russia’s Criminal Code. That would mean that anyone who publicly approves or denies Nazi war crimes determined by the Nuremberg Trials would be fined for up to 300,000 roubles (US$10,000) or imprisoned for up to three years.

Moreover, if such an offense is committed by a person using one’s official position or mass media, the punishment will be even harsher: up to half a million roubles in fines or up to five years in jail.

“We believe it is necessary to include such a rule into the Criminal Code,” said United Russia deputy Irina Yarovaya, as published on the party’s official website. “There is no doubt that the Nuremberg Trials’ decisions were made based on the results of the Second World War and by the participants of the events.”

The entire international community condemned the war crimes committed during the years of WWII.

“We believe it is unacceptable if today politicians or any other figures attempted to distort history, rewrite the past, trying to change the future that way,” the deputy said. “We think that is the least the deputies could do in order to protect the historic truth, and honor and dignity of a Soviet soldier-liberator.”

In the explanatory letter submitted with the draft, RIA Novosti writes, the MPs – citing Article 107 of the UN Charter – stated that revaluation of the International Tribunal decisions by giving approval to the Nazi policies or by denying the Nazi crimes is an international crime itself.

The draft submitted on Tuesday is the second version of the law, since the first one did not get the government’s approval.

Comments (10)

sj 24.06.2010 08:29

Artyom only one who makes any sane comment on subject.US has Bill of Rights-Constitution in Bill of Right 1.Free speech, now under attack by US Senate/House Jewish caucus, like in Russia..They want like Europe 3,5 years prison for even questioning Jews vs of Holocaust/Nazis "they "think" no good not approve ".6 million Jews died out of 38 or more millions in camps with non Jews has never been proven. Had Jews not insisted on number,don't think any one would be making laws to band conversation or research. Chancellor Angle Merkel gave ISRAELI government who demanded "originals"of all ledgers kept by Germans from "all" camps.Germany kept a copy. ISRAEL has NEVER let citizens of any country including ISRAEL see any of them! US most they could come up with via extensive research, 3,maybe 4 million Jews died in WW2, article. in Washington Times.I spoke with journalist,asked her to check with ISRAEL to verify numbers.When Nazis "transferred" Jews and others to another camp, they did not remove them from the "ledger " of camp they left.its ISRAELI,friendly newspaper got no answer. 3, 4, 6, 38 million plus,all "horrific war crimes".Free speech in US will go away.American Israeli Political Action Committee [AIPAC] will make sure.They write the legislation, pick one in US House,and Senate to sheppard around for votes, pass IF you refuse AIPAC labels you, "You support terrorists and terrorism" AIPAC money used to make sure your not "reelected or elected " Now IN RF,told,shut up no comment of Nazis/ Jewish how many died.AIPAC,Oligarch don't want "anything" on Nazis or number of Jews dead discussed in an "any" forum!

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peter gill 18.04.2010 02:31

I remember that after the 2nd world war there were no anti-nazi sentiment in England. I do remember the daily revulsion against the Japanese atrocities with books films appearing almost daily. So is all forgiven with Japan ? What changed?

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Marzipan6 02.04.2010 11:50

There is no nation in Europe that I know of that wants to “rehabilitate Nazism” – they all suffered far too terribly under Nazis. Nor do I know of any nations, nor of any responsible private individual who is taken seriously by anyone within them, who “publicly (or even privately) approves or denies Nazi war crimes determined by the Nuremberg Trials.” Nor do I know of a nation that either wishes to or is in the process of “re-writing history.” The world’s understanding of the history of WW2 progresses on an unchanging continuum from 1945 till today. The understandings of 1945 continue to be the understandings of today, only with more details added to confirm the thrust of understandings that were present from the very beginning. In Russia, however, mass media was under the tight control of Stalin’s profoundly criminal totalitarian government which committed many crimes against humanity both at home and abroad under the cover of its real enough contribution to the defeat of Hitler. Stalin’s self-serving version of events obviously edited out his own crimes and added distortions to fill in the blank spots that were thus created. In the tightly controlled world of Soviet censorship this came to be accorded the status of “history”, and is still considered as such in Russia. But parts of it are not history at all, and have never been part of the rest of the world’s understanding of history. Challenging such aspects of what was originally Stalin’s propaganda and replacing them with an actual account of real events is not a “re-writing of history,” nor even a writing of history, merely acknowledging history. It is a cheap shot indeed to claim that such a challenge represents some kind of “rehabilitation of Nazism.” It is a rehabilitation of nothing, simply an embracing of facts which the rest of the world already knows and acknowledges.

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