The State Duma of the Russian Federation has adopted in the third, final reading a law that lowers the age of criminal responsibility under a number of articles from 16 to 14 years.
This is reported by the publication Mediazona.
The law applies to all articles of the Criminal Code related to subversive activities.
The deputies also decided to lower the age of responsibility for a number of "terrorist" articles, in particular for aiding terrorism and organizing terrorist communities.
In addition, they adopted amendments that abolish the statute of limitations for sabotage articles, prohibit the imposition of sentences below the minimum, make it more difficult to obtain parole for those convicted of sabotage, and deprive those convicted of participating in "subversive communities" of the right to probation.
Separately, punishments of up to life imprisonment are provided for "inducing minors to engage in subversive activities" or "involving them in terrorist activities".
The bill was introduced to the State Duma in October. Its adoption is linked to numerous cases of arson of railway infrastructure, which Russian investigators often classify as sabotage, even when they were committed by teenagers under the influence of telephone or Internet scammers.
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