Punishment for repeat offenders: Putin signed the law on life imprisonment for pedophiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on life imprisonment for pedophiles.

The document is published on the official portal of legal information.

Now life imprisonment will be threatened for repeated sexual abuse of a child, as well as if it was committed against two or more children, or is associated with another serious crime.

In addition, the age of the victims is increasing: if earlier a pedophile could be sentenced to life imprisonment only if such a crime was repeated and against a minor under 14 years old, now it can also be imposed if the victim is from 14 to 18 years old.

Corresponding amendments are made to Art.

131 (“Rape”) and 132 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violent acts of a sexual nature”). 

Recall that in early January, the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin announced the need to adopt the relevant bill as soon as possible.

The reason for such a statement was the murder of a five-year-old girl in Kostroma, where one of the criminals turned out to be a recidivist pedophile.

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The parliamentarian also noted that those convicted of child abuse must serve their sentences in difficult conditions - in the northern territories, mines.

“These degenerates must work hard to earn their own living, every day to remember the atrocities committed, to regret it,” he noted.

On January 18, the State Duma adopted the law in the third, final reading.

On January 26, it was approved by the Federation Council.

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov, in an interview with RT, approved the adoption of the law.

“We have long insisted that there should be the toughest reaction against pedophiles in principle,” the deputy emphasized.

At the same time, Nilov noted that control measures should be provided in case such a criminal escapes.

“Responsibility alone is not enough, the situation may change, the pedophile may be released because of an escape ... You never know what can happen, and he will be released.

Control measures must be taken, such as a non-removable bracelet and medical measures,” the parliamentarian said. 

Lawyer, specialist in civil and international law Maria Yarmush emphasized that these amendments to the Criminal Code are very important in Russia today.

“First of all, to protect children from recidivist pedophiles.

From people who attack children and commit crimes - such people should not be released.

They need to be isolated from society, closed for life,” she stressed.

The lawyer noted that a lot of crimes against children were solved last year.

According to her, most of the criminals who were detained and whose guilt has already been practically proven have already been previously convicted of such crimes.

“Therefore, this bill passed in all readings on time and the President of Russia signed it, agreed, and now we can assume that the Criminal Code has been changed in such a way as to best protect children from pedophiles and from violence in the future,” she concluded.

Recall also that earlier the Investigative Committee supported the proposal to abolish the statute of limitations for sexual crimes against young children under the age of majority of the victim.

The department explained that people who often experienced violence in childhood apply with a statement after the age of 18, since after the age of majority they can do it on their own, without a guardian.

And about.

Yevgenia Minaeva, Head of the Department for Procedural Control over the Investigation of Certain Types of Crimes of the Investigative Committee, noted that parents often know about what is happening to the child, but do not want to believe it.

“The surrounding organs are educational, medical, they can notice

this (signs of sexual violence. -

There are methods, if everyone does not turn a blind eye to this, then we will identify such crimes at an early stage, ”Minaeva noted.

As Deputy Head of the Investigative Committee Elena Leonenko reported in an interview with TASS, in the nine months of 2021, almost 6,000 people committed sexual crimes against children, almost three-quarters of the victims were teenagers over the age of 15.