Challenging the prosecution of anti-war expressions at the Russian Constitutional Court

A webinar presented by the IBA Human Rights Law Committee and co-sponsored by the Rule of Law Forum and Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee

Since the very first day of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russians have been expressing their disagreement with this decision, calling for the end of the war. The Russian authorities reacted to this anti-war movement by introducing new repressive laws that make such expressions illegal. As a result, approximately 6,000 cases have been initiated under a new article of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offences, Article 20.3.3, which prohibits ‘discreditation of the use of Russian armed forces’.

Russian civil society argues that this law violates freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and is discriminatory, and that by widely and arbitrarily enforcing this law, Russia is ignoring international law and abusing its own constitution to silence dissent and persecute peaceful protestors, human rights defenders and their lawyers in an effort to reinforce their larger strategy against Ukraine.

In this webinar, we will discuss the impact of this law and Russia’s strategic mistreatment of its own citizens within the broader context of its war against Ukraine.

This webinar intends to bring attention to Russia’s persecution of its own citizens who peacefully protest the war against Ukraine, and to highlight the legal efforts of civil society and the international community to bring an end to this persecution and restore the freedoms of speech, expression and assembly in Russia.