As of: March 25, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Victoria Krumbeck
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Press
Split
After the terrorist attack near Moscow, there are calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty.
This step could have consequences for Kremlin opponents.
Moscow – The attack in a concert hall near Moscow on Friday evening (March 22) sparked a discussion in Russia about the death penalty.
Allies of President Vladimir Putin have spoken out in favor of reintroducing the death penalty for terrorism and murder.
Critics are sounding the alarm because in recent years, Kremlin opponents in particular have been arrested and convicted on suspicion of terrorism.
After terrorist attack near Moscow: demand for death penalty
“Now there are a lot of questions being asked about the death penalty.
[...] A decision will be made that corresponds to the mood and expectations of our society," said the parliamentary group leader of the ruling United Russia party, Vladimir Vasilyev, in a video at the weekend.
The death penalty in Russia has been suspended under a moratorium since 1996.
After the terrorist attack in Moscow, politicians close to Vladimir Putin are calling for the death penalty to be reintroduced.
© Photomontage Jörg Carstensen/Investigative Committee of Russia/dpa
The deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on Security Affairs, Yuri Afonin, said on Saturday: “It is necessary to reintroduce the death penalty when it comes to terrorism and murder.” Already on Friday, the former head of state and current deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, on the Telegram online service, explains: “Terrorists only understand retaliatory terror [...] death for death.” In the past, Putin allies have repeatedly spoken out in favor of reintroducing the death penalty.
On Monday, March 25, Medvedev continued his rant in a new Telegram post, calling for the death of “everyone involved.”
“Who paid, who sympathized, who helped.
Kill them all."
Reintroduction of the death penalty in Russia after terror near Moscow?
– Warnings of consequences
However, many people are concerned about calls to reactivate the death penalty in Russia.
“[...] Do you realize how many people the system could kill?” asked women's rights activist Alyona Popova on the Telegram online service about the possible consequences.
She was referring to the Russian authorities' broad use of laws against terrorism or extremism.
According to the independent website
Mediazona,
a record 143 cases allegedly related to terrorism were prosecuted in Russia last year.
Before 2018, there were fewer than 20 judicial cases of this type every year.
Numerous Kremlin opponents have already been arrested as a result.
The recently deceased Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was also charged with extremism and sent to a prison camp.
As
The Moscow Times
writes, Russia's financial watchdog has added the "international LGBT movement" to its blacklist of extremists and terrorists.
Reintroducing the death penalty would allow the Kremlin to take even more drastic action against political opponents.
Possible death penalty in Russia against Kremlin critics – European politician issues warning
The Green Party European politician Sergei Lagodinski also expects the death penalty to be reintroduced in Russia, as
Deutschlandfunk
writes.
Lagodinsky assumes that the Kremlin would use the death penalty against political enemies of Putin.
According to the Green politician, the death penalty was also suspended in Russia because the country was a member of the Council of Europe.
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According to the Russian Investigative Committee on Sunday, at least 137 people, including three children, were killed in the suspected terrorist attack near Moscow.
More than 150 people were injured and 107 people were still in hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Even if the jihadist militia IS claims responsibility for the attack, Putin speaks of traces of the attack near Moscow that lead to Ukraine.
The US Embassy in Moscow warned Russia two weeks ago of a possible attack in Moscow.
(vk/afp)