To introduce the following amendment to the Penal Code of Russian Federation (General Code of Russian Federation, 1996, N 25, article 2954) by adding a new article 354.1 containing the following definition:

Article 354.1 Rehabilitation of Nazism

1. Misrepresentations of the Nurnberg Trial or that of national trials or tribunals based on the Nurnberg Trial aimed at the total or partial rehabilitation of Nazism and Nazi criminals, or accusations of any actions undertaken by the states-members of the anti-Hitler coalition as being criminal, as well as positive approval or denial of Nazi crimes against world peace and wellbeing of mankind committed publicly, are charged by a fine equal 300, 000 RUB [1] or alternatively by up to 3 years of imprisonment.

2. Same deeds committed by the officials on duty by using their official positions or through mass media are charged by a fine from 100,000 RUB up to 500,000 RUB or alternatively by imprisonment up to 5 years with the following disfranchisement of appointment for certain jobs and for certain occupations up to 3 years.

President of the Russian Federation

Rationale for the project of the federal law "On changes to the penal Code of Russian Federation"

The project defines liability for infringement of historical memory concerning the events that took place during the WWII.

The project proposes amendment to the Penal Code on international crimes by adding a new article 354.1, proclaiming legal responsibility for denial or positive approval of Nazi crimes, Nazi criminals or for criminal accusations of any actions undertaken by the anti-Hitler coalition.

Revision of the verdict of the Nurnberg Trial such as endorsement of the military aggression of Nazism, denial of the crimes committed by Nazi on the occupied territories, or, even more, blaming criminal any actions conducted against the aggressor by the anti-Hitler coalition, are determined an international crime. This definition follows from the article 107 of United Nations Charter which identifies crimes committed during the WWII as especially dangerous, and, consequently, attempts to rehabilitate misinterpret or approve crimes committed during this period.
Given that number of international documents (Berlin declaration on defeat of Germany from 2 august 1945, Statute of the Nurnberg Trial etc) define clearly the states-members of anti-Hitler coalition as well as the states which supported the aggressor, and that the fact that the states-members of the anti-Hitler coalition were acting to secure world peace and international security, was approved by these documents, this judgment of the role of the anti-Hitler coalition during the WWII cannot be put on question in any way.

These states that treat actions undertaken by the states-members of the anti-Hitler coalition during the WWII as antagonistic and hostile for themselves, declare themselves the allies of Nazism.

Hence, any deeds committed to deny criminal nature of Nazi regime as well as the military crimes committed by this regime, crimes against world peace, safety of humanity, genocide and so on, or deeds that approve or claim innocent criminals indicted by the Nurnberg Trial, go against international laws and are to be defined as international crimes. While creating favorable conditions for committing crimes defined by the articles 243, 282.1, 353-358 of the Penal Code, these deeds are to be considered criminal.

Russia