Human Rights Defenders

23 May 2022

by Aleksandr Podrabinek

Source: Vot-Tak.TV

When cannons thunder, not only the muses are silent. So is the law, and in order to maintain even a shred of society’s belief in justice, the laws are disgracefully called “martial laws.” Russia’s war against Ukraine has not been declared, but the laws being passed are being written with a wartime discount. Actually, “discount” is politely put. In no way do the laws correspond to the principles of law.

Legal Nihilism

Russia’s State Duma is tired of pretending to be a legislative body. In order to fulfill the political intentions of those wielding power and deal with captured “Azov” fighters, the “Dumaks” have come up with a multi-part combination move. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced that the “Nazi criminals” from the Azov regiment must stand trial no matter what. Reacting to this instantly was Deputy Anatoly Vasserman, who will stoop to any filth, who proposed introducing a legislative ban on exchanging “Nazi criminals.” The Russian Justice Ministry sent a petition to the Supreme Court on recognizing the Azov regiment as a terrorist organization and banning its activities in Russia. 

 Now, following the Okhotny Ryad manipulators’ wishes, Ukrainian prisoners of war will be called terrorists and tried for terrorism. In fact, if people of a nationality you don’t like can in all seriousness be called Nazis, then why can’t fighters defending their country’s independence be called terrorists? In addition to this, the State Duma is planning to pass a law prohibiting the exchange of terrorists.

The legal nihilism of Russian legislators boggles the imagination. Bringing the Azov regiment under a law like this means making the law retroactive. Doing so not only runs counter to legal tradition but also blatantly violates the Russian Constitution, which prohibits making laws, that establish or aggravate responsibility, retroactive. Of course, where is the Duma and where is the law? Where is the law and where is justice? It’s as if they exist in different realities.

“Dummy States”

Actually, the Kremlin lackeys from the Russian fools’ parliament may have been worried for nothing. Naturally, the Kremlin appreciates their zeal, but it will act differently. Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] Denis Pushilin has already announced that the Azovstal prisoners will be tried by a tribunal on the territory of this unrecognized republic. Such an outcome is quite convenient for the Kremlin. While not answerable formally for the actions of the self-styled courts, it nevertheless will be in absolute control of the judicial process.

Generally speaking, “dummy states” are very handy for carrying out dirty little deeds. It’s a tried-and-true method. And Denis Pushilin, famous in his day along with Sergei Mavrodi for building the MMM financial pyramid, knows this from his own experience. Fly-by-night dummy firms provide cover for financial-economic crimes, while dummy states cover up political abuses by major players.

The fate of the Azovstal captives is cause for serious alarm. Their fate may be the most tragic. The Kremlin regime and its marionettes today have absolutely no interest in demonstrating justice, humanity, or readiness for peace talks and a prisoner exchange. On the contrary, they are trying to show the whole world their intransigence, cruelty, and disdain for laws and the law. They are looking to exacerbate everything they can while sundering international ties and isolating Russia from the surrounding world. This style dominates today in Russian politics and it will be hard to break. This is something everyone should bear in mind; they should not harbor futile illusions.

Translated by Marian Schwartz