The Federation Council approved an exception from aggravating circumstances for service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The Federation Council approved a law that provides for the exclusion from the number of aggravating circumstances of the commission of an intentional crime by a police officer.

Changes are made to Art. 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (aggravating circumstances) – the article excludes the provision that recognizes as an aggravating circumstance “the commission of an intentional crime by an employee of the internal affairs body.”

The authors of the bill were deputies from the Communist Party. They explained the need for changes by discrimination of employees of the bodies in comparison with employees of other state structures. Law and order in Russia is also provided by employees of the courts, the prosecutor’s office, the FSB, etc., but this paragraph does not apply to them, the deputies specified in an explanatory note.

“The law is motivated by the fact that the maintenance of this norm violates the principles of equality before the law,” – explained Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Alexander Karlin (quote from TASS).

Clause “o”, which will be excluded from the legislation after signing by the President, was supplemented by Art. 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in 2010. The law on this was signed by the then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. The authors of the initiative wanted to “strengthen the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and organizations from illegal actions of employees of the internal affairs bodies.”

According to Art. 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, aggravating circumstances also include relapse, special cruelty, use of weapons, committing a crime as part of a group, etc.