CrimeaSOS: the occupiers issued 514 resolutions on “discrediting the russian army” in Crimea

Since March 2023, the occupation “courts” in Crimea have issued 514 resolutions on administrative liability for allegedly discrediting the russian army. CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko provided the following data.

Out of 514 resolutions on bringing to administrative liability for “discrediting the russian army” (Article 20.3.3 of the code of administrative offences of the russian federation), 38 were issued in November of this year. According to Yevhenii Yaroshenko, negative dynamics continues, because this is 11 more than in October, when the “courts” adopted 27 such resolutions.

For the entire time, the most resolutions were issued by the “Kyiv District Court of Simferopol” (82), “Yevpatoria City Court” (47), “Feodosia City Court” (41), “Yalta City Court” (36) and “Saky City Court” (31).

In addition, during the period from March 4, 2022 to November 30, 2023, the “courts” in Crimea passed 6 verdicts in criminal cases on the alleged repeated discrediting of the russian army (Article 280.3 of the criminal code of the russian federation). One of them was adopted in November of this year: then Oleh Valieiev was deprived of liberty for 1.5 years for posts on social networks.

“Verdicts and resolutions in the cases of “discrediting the army of the russian federation” violate the right to freedom of expression provided for by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights”, — Yevhenii Yaroshenko emphasizes.

We shall remind you that on March 4, 2022, russian MPs adopted amendments to the legislation, which provide for administrative and criminal liability for “discrediting the armed forces of the russian federation”. Since then, the russian federation has used this law to prosecute people with opinions on full-scale war that differ from the Kremlin’s official position.

Why such actions of the russian federation are a violation of the right to freedom of expression – please read in a detailed study by CrimeaSOS issued in September 2022. Our analysts monitored the decisions of the occupation “courts” in Crimea and substantiated their illegality, taking into account international legal norms and case law of the European Court of Human Rights.