In Russia, the examination of several laws strengthening the control of legal immigration and the repression of illegal migration is beginning. A priority of the fall session of the Duma, said its president.
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From our correspondent in Moscow,
Possessing a nationality other than Russian should very soon be an aggravating circumstance for crimes and offenses in the same way as recidivism or revenge and this is officially presented as a ” preventive mechanism that will contribute to more responsible behavior » foreigners in Russia. To justify this proposal, the MP who presented it relies on statistics from the Investigative Committee, a body directly linked to the Kremlin. These indicate a 55% increase in the number of so-called “extremist crimes” committed by migrants during the first half of 2024.
Another aggravating circumstance for the commission of a crime or misdemeanor must also be voted on soon: illegal stay in Russia. Also on the calendar is a bill equating the organization of illegal immigration networks with a particularly serious offense. The authorities have also indicated for several weeks that they are also preparing a register of foreigners staying illegally in Russia.
Control of legal residence is also becoming tougher. A bill which sets a marriage duration of three years for obtaining a temporary residence permit has, for example, already been adopted at second reading. “ We must quickly pass this law on third readingexplained Vyacheslav Volodin, the president of the Duma, a week ago during the parliamentary debate. Otherwise, sneaky seducers will appear to quickly formalize relations. We don’t need such people here who cheat on our wives. Women need to be enlightened, they need to know what kind of people they are formalizing their relationships with. Especially our babushkas, they should not be dragged into this type of fornication. »
Measures that are not necessarily unanimous
In the wake of theterrible attack on the Crocus last March – with a toll of 145 dead and 551 injured – claimed by the Islamic State organization and executed according to the Russian authorities by Tajiks, the atmosphere in the country became extremely tense on the migration issue. At this time, we even noted an explosion of racist comments and actions. Today, the shock has passed, but the authorities want to show the population that they are taking action.
This new line questions, first of all, lawyers. Those cited in the newspaper Kommersant this Tuesday morning believe that making the detention of another nationality an aggravating circumstance in the event of a crime or offense contravenes a constitutional principle in Russia: that of equality before the law. without distinction of sex, nationality or race “.
Also readRussia: two months after the Crocus attack, the fate of Tajik workers in suspense
Other criticisms
Another criticism is political and comes from Ramzan Kadyrov. It was published on the evening of October 7 on his official Telegram channel. The strong man of Chechnya goes so far as to mention in this text “ a medieval approach “. He also and above all judges that “ the problem under discussion cannot be resolved by mass expulsion of migrants, and that it is not due to the faults of people coming to Russia, but to the negligence of those who, at one time, would have dealt with the problems falling within their competence “. An indirect, but transparent allusion to the security forces, which Ramzan Kadyrov is one of the few, if not the only one, able to make in Russia. His conclusion is in any case clear: “lRussian authorities will achieve no results by inciting hatred towards migrants “.
Finally, the last criticism this time comes from companies, both small and large, which are already having great difficulty finding workers. And in an economy still overheating, they fear that these laws will make their problem even worse.