The pro-Kremlin United Russia party will propose amendments to Russian law introducing criminal punishment for attempts to rehabilitate Nazism, a lawmaker involved in the initiative has said.
Russia has strongly opposed attempts by some countries, mainly Poland and the Baltic States, to reassess the results of World War II, which the Kremlin says deny the Soviet Union's contribution to the victory over the Nazis.
"We will not allow anybody to rewrite the results of the war, defile the memory of those who have fallen and rehabilitate Nazism," Irina Yarovaya said, adding that the verdicts of the Nuremberg trials had never been questioned.
United Russia earlier introduced a similar bill to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, which dismissed the draft law as needing "serious historical and legal evaluation."
The new bill proposes the introduction of a new article to the Russian criminal code titled on the rehabilitation of Nazism. It would stipulate a fine of up to 300,000 rubles (more than $10,000) or a prison term of up to three years for the "public approval or denial of Nazi crimes against peace and security of humanity determined by the Nuremberg Tribunal verdict."
If the offense was committed using an official position or the mass media, it would be punished by a fine of up to 500,000 rubles (some $17,000) or a prison term of up to five years. Individuals found guilty would also be deprived of the right to occupy certain positions and perform certain duties for a period of up to three years.
According to a comment attached to the bill, the denial of Nazi crimes should be considered an international crime as it runs counter to international law adopted during the Nuremberg process.
Yarovaya said the Article 107 of the UN Charter allowed Russia to introduce such amendments to national law.
MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti)
