Russia: justice toughens laws on domestic violence
A woman, beaten by her husband, looks through the window of a shelter dedicated to victims of domestic violence in Moscow, January 26, 2017. AP - Pavel Golovkin
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2 min
It is a judgment that could mark a milestone in the difficult and long fight against domestic violence in Russia.
The Russian Constitutional Court has just ruled in favor of tougher legislation.
It orders the establishment of much stricter laws in this area.
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With our correspondent in Moscow,
Julian Colling
In its opinion delivered on Friday April 9, the Russian Constitutional Court considers that the current laws do not sufficiently protect potential victims of
domestic violence
, which is contrary to the Constitution.
The court places particular emphasis on recidivism, insufficiently taken into account according to it.
In 2017, Russian deputies had in fact chosen to decriminalize most domestic violence, by returning it to administrative law.
A decision much criticized
at the time for the impunity it offered to the aggressors.
And a decision therefore disowned today by the Court.
This historical fact - a real victory according to associations for the defense of women's rights - occurs in the context of a very specific case.
In 2019, Lioudmila Sakova, 51, seized the High Court after repeated beatings by her own brother.
The man had only been sentenced by a conventional court to community service.
This strong signal could finally advance the major bill against
this scourge in Russia
, which has stalled since the end of 2019, for lack of political will.
Because the real stake, for lawyers and activists, is there.
Several hundred women die each year as a result of domestic violence.
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