Russian media reports say The State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) has approved an amendment allowing depriving the acquired Russian citizenship for “committing acts endangering national security.”
TASS reported yesterday that the State Duma has adopted the amendment to the second reading of the draft basic law “On the Citizenship of the Russian Federation”. The amendment provides for terminating the acquired citizenship for public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Changes were reportedly made to Article 24 of the draft law on the termination of the citizenship as a result of a crime.
The citizenship will be terminated if a crime is committed under Article 280.3 of Russia’s Penal Code — public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for protection of the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens.
A decision on the termination of the acquired citizenship, i.e. not received by birthright, “for acts against national security” will be made “by federal executive body in the field of internal affairs or its territorial bodies.”
The draft law on “The Citizenship of the Russian Federation” was submitted to the State Duma by President Vladimir Putin in late December 2021. The document provides for reducing the number of requirements for the granting of the citizenship of the Russian Federation for more than 20 categories of persons.
At the same time, the draft law “expands the list of crimes the commission of which entails withdrawal of citizenship from persons previously admitted to it.” The State Duma adopted the document in the first reading on April 5, 2022.
In mid-November 2022, Putin submitted to the State Duma a proposal to deprive Russian citizenship of those who criticize or discredit the Armed Forces and those who engage in NGO activities deemed “undesirable” among other reasons.
