We are in a difficult situation! The officials who authored the bill on clear-cutting PROTECTIVE FORESTS carried out vote rigging on the last day of the public discussion (March 21). This means that together we are creating a real barrier, and they are taking absolutely critical and reckless steps in an attempt to push through their bill!
Yesterday, within a single day, they boosted several thousand votes on the governmental initiatives website. The situation is difficult, we are seeing a serious conflict of interest! The point is that the bill on clear-cutting protective (RESERVE) forests was introduced by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, while at the same time, it is precisely the Ministry of Economic Development that operates the portal regulation.gov.ru. This means they have access to all the site’s data and files, are responsible for its functionality, including vote counting and data security!
Do you see the problem? The authors of the bill can directly influence the course of voting on the bills and manipulate the data in their own interests.
This is a direct conflict of interest. Moreover, we have documented a specific instance of vote rigging in the attempt to push the bill through, initiated by the Ministry of Economic Development itself.
People see everything! Public trust in the governmental system is being undermined, and that is very bad. By trying to push through a dangerous bill threatening Russia’s nature reserves for their own benefit, the authors of the bill are discrediting our country’s entire governance system.
That’s why a thorough investigation by the authorities is absolutely necessary!
If it turns out there was a massive artificial boost in voting on that day, and there are signs of deliberate falsification of the results, the legal assessment of this situation (up to Art. 285 “Abuse of official powers” and Art. 292 “Official forgery” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies.
And if we let this go, not only will they start destroying protected mountain forests, but they will also continue to use manipulations with voting and discussions in their own interests, completely undermining the trust between the government and society!
So, our lawyers have analyzed the issue, and we have identified the main possible violations by the authors of the bill:
Abuse of official powers (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
“the use by an official of their authority contrary to the interests of service, if this act is committed out of mercenary or personal interest and results in a significant violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens or organizations, or the legally protected interests of society or the state”
Launching a duplicate bill in order to conceal the true circumstances and mislead the public can be considered an act harmful to the interests of society. And interfering with the results of the public vote (discussion) by rigging votes is a direct distortion of the outcome, which can damage the interests of the state and citizens who rely on a reliable procedure for discussing bills.
Official forgery (Article 292 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation)
“the entry by an official into official documents of knowingly false information, or making amendments to them that distort their actual content”
It is necessary to review all documentation for the “duplicate” bill and any manipulations with the results of the public discussion. If any official documents were drawn up with false information, this could be considered official forgery. Furthermore, falsification of data on the number of people who voted for the bill may also be viewed as introducing deliberately false information into official documents.
Violation of anti-corruption legislation (Federal Law No. 273-FZ “On Counteracting Corruption”)
Actions involving the deliberate distortion of public discussion results, concealing the bill under a different number, and rigging votes may fall under “abuse of official powers” (Art. 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) or “official forgery” (Art. 292 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Both of these criminal offenses directly constitute corrupt practices under the meaning of the law on counteracting corruption.
The very fact of deceiving the public and covertly pushing a favorable decision is already considered a corrupt scheme (personal and/or other interests, including career and financial gains).
Administrative liability for violating the discussion procedure (depending on regulations)
In addition to criminal liability, administrative sanctions or disciplinary measures are possible if violations of the established rules for public discussions are found. For instance, in our country, there is Government Decree of the Russian Federation No. 851 of 2013, “On Approving the Rules for the Public Discussion of Draft Regulatory Legal Acts...” (and a number of other acts), which sets forth the procedure for publishing drafts and the rules for their discussion.
A lack of transparency in the procedure, manipulations with the official site or technical means, may also be classified as a violation of the requirements for posting information on the internet (Federal Law No. 149-FZ “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection”).
Depending on how the actions are classified and the consequences arising, the case may be considered either under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (if the elements of a criminal offense are proven) or under the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (if the elements are recognized as an administrative offense).
WE ARE SUBMITTING A STATEMENT
We have prepared statements to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation and the Investigative Committee, demanding a thorough investigation. All the information is presented in the official document, including screenshots of the timing of the vote rigging! Many of our allies monitored this online. Therefore, it will not be possible to hide this information.
I ask all our allies to download our document for the authorities and examine it carefully!
The statement has already been sent to the authorities! We are keeping the situation under public scrutiny.
It is also important for as many people as possible to do the same: you can file an online appeal to the authorities and demand an investigation into the authors of the bill.
Just in your own words, based on the above information — submit appeals on your own behalf. Say what you think! If you want, you can attach our document.
Submit to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation
Submit to the Investigative Committee
In fact, the situation is dire — it’s publicly demonstrated how officials manipulate bills using digital portals! Essentially destroying any public opinion, wielding the power, authority, and resources at their disposal for personal gain.
We continue to stand against the clear-cutting of protective forests and will strive to have the bill withdrawn from consideration! Please support us, help, and spread the word.
© PAVEL PASHKOV
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