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| Two thousand for a trident. 'Glory to Ukraine!' banned late |
| 2024-01-20 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Oleg Krivoshapov [REGNUM] The Ministry of Justice recognized four organizations of Ukrainian origin as Nazis and banned the display of their paraphernalia and symbols, TASS reported. We are talking about three structures known from the history of World War II - the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, as well as the lesser-known Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army (UNRA, aka " Polesie Sich") Taras "Bulba" Borovets. In addition, the Ukrainian National Assembly - Ukrainian People's Self-Defense (UNA - UNSO), which became famous in the 1990s, was banned. The basis for the ban was Article 6 of the law “On the perpetuation of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.” One of the clauses of this article prohibits propaganda and display of paraphernalia of organizations banned by the Nuremberg Tribunal and similar courts following the war. Another clause prohibits neo-Nazi communities and their paraphernalia. Responsibility is prescribed in the Code of Administrative Offences. By the way, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses implies rather lenient sanctions. For propaganda or public display of attributes or symbols of these organizations, a fine of only 1–2 thousand rubles is imposed (the alternative is administrative arrest for up to 15 days). Officials are subject to a fine of 1–4 thousand rubles, legal entities are subject to a fine of 10–50 thousand rubles. But, be that as it may, for the greeting “Glory to Ukraine!” and the answer “Glory to the Heroes!”, as well as an emblem in the form of a golden trident, the middle element of which is made in the form of a double-edged sword, is now punishable. Another question arises: of the four new organizations recognized as Nazi, three (OUN, UPA and UNA - UNSO) were already banned in Russia. After all, quite a long time ago, in 2014, they were included in the list of extremist ones. Created in 2015, the Volunteer Movement of the OUN, the legal successor of the “historical organization,” was banned in 2022. But their symbols (the same cry “Glory to Ukraine!”) have not yet been outlawed, which may cause confusion. On the other hand, the question arises: how justified is it to include all four organizations in any additional registers, in addition to the list of extremist ones? Maybe this measure is redundant? SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ACT FROM THE WHEELS Kirill Vyshinsky, a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, believes that the case of banning the display of symbols of the OUN, UPA and similar organizations really looks like a belated measure. On certain marketplaces - in chain stores operating in Russia - you can now purchase, in addition to dubious paraphernalia, various literary works offering extremist, Russophobic or anti-Russian interpretations of history and modernity. The problem is that Russia’s anti-extremist legislation has to be finalized on the fly, notes Honored Lawyer of Russia Yuri Zhdanov. For example, the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps, which has been fighting against former compatriots since 2022 and took responsibility for the attack on the Belgorod region in May 2023, was added to the list of terrorist organizations only on December 30. The RDK emblem is not officially included in the list of prohibited symbols. The white-blue-white flag, which has been used since February 2022 by “trans-Ukrainian” non-systemic oppositionists who have settled in exile, was not so quickly banned. The ban on BSB as a symbol of the banned Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Freedom of Russia” became known only in May 2023 from the decision of the Zelenograd Court of Moscow. This is not so much about gaps in the laws, but about the speed and volume of decisions made, Zhdanov believes. “ In special conditions, you have to act quickly - from the wheels. And there is not always time to write down all the details,” the interlocutor notes. We can agree in the case of extremist remakes like RDK. But Bandera’s black and red symbols and the cry “Glory to Ukraine!” have been well known since the last century: if not from historical works and films about the Great Patriotic War, then from the reports of the First Chechen War, where UNA-UNSO militants fought on the side of the separatists. "AVOID EXCESSIVE REPRESSION" The point is the caution of legislators and law enforcers, IA Regnum interlocutors believe. “There is one very important detail here - it is necessary not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater,” says Vyshinsky. — For example, I do not agree that, under the guise of fighting extremism, they suddenly begin to ban scientific literature about extremist organizations, about various “national legions” and war criminals from the times of the USSR. And this is a huge layer of scientific and popular science literature that is needed by a wide audience.” The question remains open as to whether it is necessary to ban (or leave available for study by historians, counter-propagandists and extremism specialists) books by ideologists of Ukrainian “integral nationalism”, which has become the ideological basis for the current Kyiv regime. In any case, the books of Dmitry (Dmitro) Dontsov, which were directly targeted by the Bandera wing of the OUN, are currently publicly available in some Russian electronic bookstores. On the other hand, society itself “regulates and prohibits” the circulation of symbols of the enemy and his ideological predecessors, experts believe. Now on free sale there are no Bandera symbols, no paraphernalia of the “Right Sector”, no symbols of modern collaborators - the same so-called RDK, Zhdanov notes. “Even at flea markets,” the expert assures. - Yes, there is Hitler’s - on weapons, equipment - for collectors. But I haven’t seen any “remakes” for mass use. Everyone understands everything.” The example of the OUN, UNRA, UPA and UNA - UNSO, according to the lawyer, shows that now in Russia both regulatory regulation and legal practice are aimed at avoiding “excessive and excessive repression.” The main thing in this matter is flexibility in law enforcement practice, says lawyer, candidate of legal sciences Janis Juksa. In some cases, public figures, journalists and simply concerned citizens should be able to use any symbols for research or critical purposes, the lawyer adds. It is also necessary to consider the risks of unintentional use of symbols of prohibited organizations. And this is where the Ministry of Justice lists come in handy, Vyshinsky emphasizes. “How to identify, for example, historical myth-making and extremism in books? — asks Vyshinsky. — There is a list of extremist literature that is prohibited; such lists exist in all countries of the world. That is, government filters are working. In addition, serious scientific and historical literary works have their own reviewers and editorial boards.” EXTREMISM “FOR REFERENCE” But it is extremely difficult to completely stop access to information with extremist content, political scientist and leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries Alexander Dudchak told IA Regnum. A striking example of this is Wikipedia, which is not prohibited in the Russian Federation and is in the public domain, many sections of which contain statements that contradict Russian legislation, sometimes simply promoting extremism, Russophobia and Nazism. “Viki” began to actively rule in a pro-Kiev manner not since February 2022, but at least since 2014. And there the history of the OUN - UPA, UNA - UNSO and similar structures, not to mention the current information about the special operation in Ukraine, is presented not only not “pro-Russian”, but not even neutral, the interlocutors note. “Apparently, access to Wikipedia has not yet been closed only because it also serves as a source of information in general, and there is no full-fledged alternative to it in Russia yet,” says Vyshinsky. “ At the same time, when I tried to create a page about one person who was an Anti-Maidan activist, it was quickly “nullified” - they removed all the facts except “born, studied, served” and so on. And even if you make some of your own edits there, they are also immediately eliminated.” Dudchak reminds that work is currently underway in Russia to launch the full version of a worthy alternative to this information base - Ruvika. It is possible that soon it will be able to completely replace all previous analogues for Russian-speaking users. In the meantime, the organization responsible for updating the international database can be fined on a “target basis” for posting information that violates Russian laws. “Let them at least bring money to the treasury before they are closed,” the political scientist sums up. |
| Posted by:badanov |