Amendments to the topic of the day – Newspaper Kommersant No. 59 (7504) dated 04/06/2023

On Wednesday, the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs recommended that a new version of the law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” be adopted in the second reading. Among the approved amendments are new grounds for terminating acquired citizenship, which include, for example, discrediting the army, calls for extremism, encroachment on the life of a statesman, and organizing an armed rebellion. In general, the number of articles of the Criminal Code (CC), the sentence on which may become the basis for the termination of acquired citizenship, increased from 35 to 94. At the same time, the committee refused to introduce the concept of “compatriots abroad” into the text of the document and deprive foreign guardians of the opportunity Russian citizenship of the child.

The Presidential Bill on Citizenship was passed on first reading a year ago. It expands the powers of the head of state to determine the categories of persons entitled to a simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship; reduces the requirements for admission to Russian citizenship for more than 20 categories of persons; introduces the institution of termination of citizenship of the Russian Federation instead of canceling the decision on admission to citizenship. In addition, the list of crimes, the commission of which entails the termination of acquired citizenship, is expanding: some grave crimes against the state, as well as crimes in the field of trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, have been added to it.

For the second reading, the profile committee on CIS affairs approved the amendments by senators Andrey Klishas, ​​Andrey Yatskin, Viktor Bondarev and Grigory Karasin, adding to this list with other crimes. Among them are desertion, violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and discrediting the army.

Also, the termination of citizenship may entail public calls for extremist activities, armed rebellion, encroachment on the life of a statesman or public figure.

The committee’s first deputy chairman, Konstantin Zatulin (United Russia), considers this “a step in the wrong direction.” “Between the first and second readings, the number of reasons to terminate citizenship in accordance with court decisions increased from 35 articles of the Criminal Code to 94. There are serious crimes there. But there are courts and prisons to fight them. Why even deprive of citizenship? And then what to do with these people, when they are deprived of citizenship, will be released? It seems to me that this was done on the topic of the day, ”said the deputy to Kommersant. He believes that this approach divides Russians into two unequal categories: those who received citizenship by birth and those who acquired it at the age of majority for various reasons. According to Mr. Zatulin, “such segregation will make a repulsive impression” on the inhabitants of the new territories that became part of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, Konstantin Zatulin positively assesses the approval of the amendment, which abolishes the condition under which a foreign parent must consent to obtaining Russian citizenship by a child born in a mixed marriage abroad (the authors were Mr. Kalashnikov). But “there are more reasons for dissatisfaction,” admits United Russia. Thus, the committee rejected his proposals to introduce the concept of “compatriots abroad” into the law and restore the right of citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine living in Russia to a simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship. In the draft law, this right is exercised through a presidential decree.

At the same time, the committee recommended for adoption an amendment by United Russia member Artem Turov, according to which participants in the state program for resettling compatriots in the Russian Federation can obtain citizenship without meeting the requirements for five years of residence in Russia, knowledge of the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and fundamentals of legislation.

Another approved amendment by Mr. Turov makes it possible to obtain citizenship by decision of the President on the basis of the appeal of the ANO “Russia – the Land of Opportunities” (it conducts a personnel competition “Leaders of Russia”). A United Russia proposal was also adopted, according to which renunciation of Russian citizenship is not allowed if the Russian has an “unfulfilled obligation to the Russian Federation established by law” (in the version of the first reading, only specific grounds were mentioned – unpaid fines, taxes and fees).

But the amendment of the head of the Duma Committee on Family Affairs Nina Ostanina (KPRF) that the citizenship of a child cannot be terminated by his foreign guardians, the committee recommended for rejection. Similar proposals were received from Alexei Kornienko (KPRF) and vice-speaker Pyotr Tolstoy (UR), but were also rejected. Ms. Ostanina told Kommersant that she would submit her amendment to a separate vote. “If children were born in our country and ended up outside it, they should be able to remain citizens of the Russian Federation. In the face of population decline, we cannot be so wasteful of human capital,” she explained.

The Duma plans to consider the bill “On Citizenship” in the second reading on April 11.

Ksenia Veretennikova