Russian parliament speaker backs ban on public criticism of Wagner fighters

[ad_1]

LONDON (Reuters) – Russia’s top lawmaker on Wednesday backed a proposal by the founder of the Wagner mercenary group fighting in Ukraine to make it a criminal offense to publicly criticize Wagner fighters or publish negative reports about them.

Yevgeny Prigozhin made the request in a letter to Vyacheslav Volodin, the hawkish speaker of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, saying he wanted prison terms of up to five years for anyone who discredits his men.

Volodin on Wednesday ordered his subordinates to urgently explore the possibility of amending the criminal code.

The quick and positive response from a close ally of President Vladimir Putin is the latest sign that Prigozhin – a former hot dog seller and convict – is exploiting the battlefield advances of his fighters in Ukraine to expand his own political influence. .

Political cartoons about world leaders

In another show of support last week, a senior Russian politician posted a photo of himself holding a hammer Wagner had given him, a tool the group has adopted as a symbol since one was used to assassinate a defector. of Wagner last year.

Prigozhin had asked parliament to criminalize all actions that discredit its fighters – which include convicts recruited on the promise of a pardon after six months, even if they were initially jailed for life. The United States estimates that Wagner recruited around 40,000 convicts.

He had also called for a ban on the public disclosure of convicted fighters’ criminal pasts, following media reports of how service with Wagner secured the murderers’ freedom.

A parliamentary statement issued in response to Prigozhin’s letter said that “all those who defend our country – soldiers, volunteers, mobilized men and members of the PMC (private military company) Wagner – are heroes”, and that they deserve respect.

Actions deemed to discredit the regular armed forces are already punishable by five years in prison, while knowingly spreading “false information” about them carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Volodin is also pushing to change the penal code to allow authorities to confiscate the property and assets of Russians living abroad who publicly insult Russia or its armed forces.

The United States on Friday announced new sanctions against Wagner, who it said posed a “transcontinental threat” through a pattern of “serious criminal activity.” Prigozhin responded by asking in an open letter what Wagner was accused of.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.

[ad_2]