The key facts

  • The State Duma is preparing a law on traditional values based on the president's decree
  • Administrative or criminal liability is envisaged for violating the law
  • The deputy admitted that current interpretations of violations remain “loose”

A Law Instead of a Decree

The State Duma is preparing a law that will enshrine the concept of traditional values and establish punishment for violating them. This was announced on November 3 at a meeting of the committee for the protection of the family by its chairwoman Nina Ostanina, as reported by Gazeta.Ru citing the Telegram channel Podyom.

What is proposed to be enshrined

According to Ostanina, the values themselves are already defined in the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and they are planned to be transferred into a federal law. She emphasized that the decree contains no concepts of blood feud or sacrifice, and that it concerns what is characteristic of the country's entire multi-confessional community: “patriotism, historical memory, respect for one's history, for elders and for the young, and reverence for parents”.

Why a separate law is needed

The deputy explained that a decree alone is not enough, since it is not a law of direct effect. Currently, legislation treats as non-traditional values the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and of the childfree ideology; however, as Ostanina admitted, the interpretations of what exactly counts as a violation remain “rather loose.” In the new law these criteria are expected to be spelled out more clearly, and violating it will entail “either administrative or criminal” punishment.

Context

In September, the head of Russia's Ministry of Education, Sergei Kravtsov, reported that the projects “Kind Games” and “Orlyata-Doshkolyata” had been launched in kindergartens, introducing preschoolers to traditional Russian spiritual and moral values — friendship, mutual assistance, respect for elders, and care for others. Earlier, the head of the FPBK, Borodin, called for banning pizza as a threat to traditional values. The publications do not report on the timeline for adopting the new law or on specific sanctions.