Russia publishes registry of people subject to "civil death" restrictions
Russia's Justice Ministry has published on its website a registry of 12 people subject to "temporary restrictive measures". The deputy justice minister has defended the law behind it as justified.
Russia's Justice Ministry has published on its website a registry of people subject to "temporary restrictive measures". The list contains 12 names, headed by opposition figure and former businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It also includes political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann, businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, philanthropist Boris Zimin and others. The registry was created under a law that has been dubbed the "civil death" law on social media.
Who is on the list
The names are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Alexey Nesterenko, Anastasia Shevchenko, Yekaterina Schulmann, Leonid Gozman, Yevgeny Chichvarkin, Michael Nacke, Yelena Kotyonochkina, Boris Zimin, Vladimir Milov, Mark Zakharov and Anastasia Burakova.
Each name opens an entry with personal data: date and place of birth, taxpayer identification number and pension insurance number. The entry also states the grounds for the restrictions.
What the law does
The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, passed the law in its second and third readings in late July. It introduces "temporary restrictive measures" against people outside Russia who have been found guilty of an offense in the country and are "evading" an administrative or criminal penalty. The registry began operating in test mode in late August.
Placement on the registry effectively amounts to "civil death". The restrictions include freezing funds in Russian banks, barring access to online banking, prohibiting sales of real estate and vehicles, banning all transactions conducted under a power of attorney, and denying access to consular services.
The official's position
Deputy Justice Minister Oleg Sviridenko discussed the registry in an interview with the TASS news agency the day before it was published. He said the law is neither excessive nor a violation of constitutional rights, but a justified effort to restore the rule of law and justice. He did not rule out that, as the law is applied, it may need fine-tuning and targeted adjustments to be fully consistent with the broader legal framework for protecting national sovereignty.
