Russian State Duma passes law on deporting foreigners under more than 20 additional articles

Russia’s State Duma has passed, in its second and third readings, a bill doubling the list of offenses for which deportation of foreigners is prescribed. These include participation in unsanctioned rallies, discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, and hooliganism, TASS reports.

The bill was submitted by the Russian government. Several articles of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses will now include separate provisions with fines and punishment in the form of administrative deportation from Russia, if the violation was committed by a foreigner. Currently, deportation is prescribed for violations of 22 articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses; with the passage of the law, this number will increase to 45.

Foreign nationals will now be subject to deportation for participating in unsanctioned rallies, discrediting the Russian armed forces, calling for sanctions pressure against Russia and its citizens, and for public calls to actions that violate the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. In addition, administrative deportation will await foreigners for violating the requirements of a state of emergency, counter-terrorism operation, or martial law regime, shooting in unauthorized locations, obstructing traffic, disobeying law enforcement authorities, minor hooliganism, discrimination, and disobedience at the border.

Migrants will also be deported for offenses related to extremism and destructive information. In particular, this punishment is prescribed for desecrating religious symbols, inciting hatred or enmity, promoting extremist or Nazi symbols, producing and distributing extremist materials, using audiovisual services to disseminate calls for terrorism, and for abusing freedom of the media to disseminate dangerous information.