State Duma deputies spoke about the preparation of a women’s amnesty

“Mothers with children behind bars is nonsense. I ask you to pardon all women who have minor children and who are suspected or have already been convicted of non-violent crimes,” Eva Merkacheva said at Putin’s meeting with the Human Rights Council on Monday.

She also appealed to the president with a request to pardon all women who have committed a crime not related to violence for the first time, if there is no victim in the case or he does not object to their release.

As an example, Merkacheva cited the criminal case of journalist Alexandra Bayazitova, who was sentenced to five years in prison for extortion.

“A striking example is that recently the prosecutor asked journalist Bayazitova to serve 14 years for allegedly asking a banker for money to block negative information on a telegram channel. The victim himself, apparently, was shocked by this figure; he asked the court not to impose imprisonment on the journalist. The court ordered it anyway. Maybe not 14, but 5 years, which is also unbearably long for someone suffering from diabetes. Let me note that the average sentence for murder is 6 years,” Merkacheva emphasized. She also noted that along with the trend towards an increase in the number of punishments not related to imprisonment, the sentences for those whom the court nevertheless assigns to serve in a colony are also increasing.

“In general, the terms seem wild – 7, 10, 15, 20 or more years for a crime in which no one was killed or injured,” the human rights activist noted and drew the president’s attention to the fact that we are talking about terms for non-violent crimes.

As for women prisoners, Merkacheva asked Putin to make sure that they could be close to their families and children, and not in pre-trial detention centers and barracks behind barbed wire.

“I am sure that this step of mercy on the part of the state will change a lot for the whole country. It will show that mercy is possible in any situation, and it is higher than justice, it is the highest justice itself,” added the MK columnist.

Putin, commenting on the situation, called Merkacheva’s theses convincing.

“It is necessary to prepare and make appropriate decisions, including amnesty for certain categories of women who are in prison,” said the head of state.

The State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation began on Tuesday to work out the details of the upcoming amnesty. According to the head of the committee, Pavel Krasheninnikov (United Russia), Duma members will have to assess the scale of the future campaign to release women from prison.

“We are looking into this issue. But it is not only emotionally correct, but requires criminological grounds: what composition, stages, quantity, and so on,” explained Pavel Krasheninnikov.

Most likely, the Duma members will conduct calculations in different directions: how many women are in prison in the country in general, which of them are imprisoned for non-violent crimes, who committed an illegal act for the first time in their lives, and which of the prisoners have children.

The “women’s” amnesty, if announced, will be the third in the last ten years. In 2015, the amnesty was held in connection with the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. There were two amnesties in 2013. The first took place in July and concerned those convicted of economic crimes and for exceeding the limits of necessary defense. In December of the same year, a broad amnesty was held to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Co-author of the 2013 broad amnesty project, member of the Human Rights Council Kirill Kabanov predicted that there will be quite a lot of crimes falling under the new amnesty. However, “narcotic” articles should not be included there categorically, the human rights activist emphasized.

— The amnesty project can include everything except drug offenses. This is a position consistent with the position of the president. There is no room for slack here. Otherwise, we will open Pandora’s box,” said Kabanov.

Despite the fact that amnesties are a one-time “action” affecting only those who are serving a sentence or are under investigation at the time of its announcement, such fears may have some basis. Kabanov believes that large drug dealers, seeing softness on the part of the state, may in the future specifically use women and mothers of many children.

“This already happened when the gypsies were distributing drugs. They attracted women with children who took the crimes upon themselves,” Kabanov recalled.

He estimated the timing of the announcement of the “women’s” amnesty at approximately six months.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation Yuri Sinelshchikov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) believes that the process of preparing a draft document on amnesty for women will be completed in a much shorter time frame:

– It will take a week or two. We need to request data from the Ministry of Justice,” Sinelshchikov commented on further work on the draft amnesty act.

Meanwhile, women are unlikely to be released before the end of this year. This was pointed out by presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

– No, of course, it’s impossible to carry it out so quickly. First, we need to discuss the details, develop a position, and then talk specifically about something,” said the Kremlin speaker.

Read the material “Vladimir Putin supported the request of HRC member Eva Merkacheva to grant amnesty to women prisoners”