Russia: the law on decriminalizing domestic violence, adopted by the State Duma

World News Adina Camarasu
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On Friday, Russian lawmakers adopted the law regarding the decriminalizing domestic violence.

By this means, they target reducing the legal arsenal available to victims and also, the punishments that abusers risk getting.

The law had passed with 380 deputies in favor and three against.

Also, it must be approved by the Senate. This procedure is generally a formality, before being promulgated by President Vladimir Putin.

The law will decriminalize the violent acts committed within the same family, including on the children or partner. This will happen as long as they do not cause serious injury nor they have a precedent.

Also, the law introduces a fine of 30,000 rubles (470 euros).

However, the replaced law was meant to punish the abusers by sending them behind the bars, up to two years of imprisonment.

‘We want to show that Russian laws are not as excessive as we see in Western Europe’, said a deputy during the debates of the United Russia party.

According to him, European children ‘denounce their parents’ to authorities.

Consequently, the children are taken away from their parents in case they are too harsh.

The law has aroused major protests among human rights defenders.

They believe that it will undermine the fight against domestic violence.

The Russian Duma (the lower house of parliament) rejected the proposal of some Communist deputies, who proposed the decriminalization of violence on children or pregnant women.

The Kremlin has expressed its support for the project.

Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, explained to journalists that qualifying as domestic violence some acts from within the family means legally dramatizing. “It is not fair,” he said.

Domestic violence, in particular, those acts committed under the influence of alcohol, are a widespread problem in Russia.

In 2015, more than 4,000 people were killed by a family member, according to the Kremlin’s Human Rights Committee, citing the Russian Interior Ministry.