Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights of Russia Mikhail Fedotov said that the fine for contempt for the head of the Republic of Udmurtia in Instagram Stories was another "inadequate" application of the law "on disrespect of authorities". This was reported by the HRC’s press service on July 10.
— Once again we have to face inadequate application of the so-called "law on disrespect of authorities". How could the judge not notice that this law punishes for obscenity not to all state structures, but only to the bodies, "exercising governmental authority in the Russian Federation"? In Article 11 of the Constitution States it is clearly written that governmental authority in the Russian Federation is exercised by the President, the Federal Assembly, the government and the courts of the Russian Federation. Is there anything that can be unclear? — the HRC’s press service quoted Mikhail Fedotov.
On 9 July, the Octyabrsky District Court of Izhevsk fined hockey player Daniil Fertikov for 30 thousand rubles for obscene language, addressed to the head of the Republic Alexander Brechalov. The court issued a decision on the fine under new Part 3 of Article 20.1 of the Code of administrative offences. Fertikov published the text on Instagram Stories and tagged Brechalov's account. As reported by the defense of the hockey player, he had repented and apologized on the Internet.
Fertikov himself refused to tell the correspondent of "7x7", which expressions he addressed to the head of the Republic.
The law on contempt came into force on March 29, 2019. As the President of Russia said on the "Direct line with Vladimir Putin", the law is needed to protect the state symbols of the country.
On July 9, judge of the Octyabrsk District Court of Arkhangelsk Sergey Yarmolyuk refused to punish local resident Alexander Pushkin for obscene language, addressed to the judges. The judge considered that punishment for opinion contradicts the Constitution of Russia.
Smolensk blogger Sergei Komandirov was fined for contempt of President Putin as an authority. He applied for inviting Vladimir Putin to the court, because he, unlike the coat of arms and flag, could assess whether he was insulted or not. The court rejected his application.
Although the State Duma Deputy Leonid Levin said that the new law was only about insulting the institutions of power — the President, the government, the Constitution, Parliament, the courts — the Arkhangelsk courts gave several fines for contempt for governor Igor Orlov.
