Russian State Duma Rejects Bill Proposing Fines for Covering Face in Public
On 11 November the State Duma rejected bill No. 1159193-8, originally submitted in February, that proposed adding a new article to the Code of Administrative Offenses establishing punishment for appearing in public places with a face covered so that the person cannot be identified.
Authors of the draft provided exceptions for medical indications, work or service duties, weather conditions, and participation in sports or cultural-mass events. Under the proposal, police would draw up protocols while judges would hear the cases.
The initiative failed to gain support from two committees of the Council of the Federation: the defense and security committee and the constitutional legislation committee. The Duma committee on criminal and administrative legislation deemed the amendments inexpedient, stating that the suggested wording was excessively vague and failed to meet the requirement of legal certainty.
The same committee recalled that new compositions of administrative offenses may be introduced only after corresponding prohibitions are established in federal laws. The committee on state construction and legislation pointed out that current legislation already obliges organizers of public and sports events to require participants not to conceal their faces, and administrative liability for violating these rules already exists.
On the same day the Duma also rejected a separate bill that concerned criminal liability for crimes committed with the use of deepfakes.
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