A few days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recently that former Russian presidents enjoy judicial immunity for life, reactions from netizens have continued. Many suspect that Putin is doing this more to find a way back for himself in the future, but some netizens doubt that Putin can guarantee himself judicial immunity forever after he steps down? Forgotten? A great lesson is not far away!
On December 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the outgoing Russian president will enjoy lifelong immunity. The new law stipulates that the outgoing president cannot be prosecuted either judicially or civilly, nor can he be arrested by the police, subjected to interrogation or searched for housing. The threshold is extremely high, except for treason or a very serious crime that is confirmed by both the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, and is submitted to two-thirds of the Russian State Duma and Senate for reconfirmation. A similar law existed in Russia before, but specified that the president would enjoy judicial immunity only for the duration of his term of office.
The new law also provides that the president will be granted a seat in the Senate for life after leaving office, which also ensures the former president’s immunity from prosecution after he leaves office. Some netizens are reminded that former Chilean President Pinochet was granted a seat in the Senate for life after he came down from office, a seat that would have given him lifelong immunity, but he was eventually brought to trial for allegedly committing a brutal crackdown on opposition figures during his administration.
The Russian law is part of a summer amendment to the constitution that will allow Putin to serve as president until 2036, almost for life, according to the amended constitution. The new law also mentions the protection of the extended and former president’s family.
The new Russian law drew continuous reactions from Chinese netizens, mostly criticism and mockery, most of whom said that Putin had forgotten the lessons of history without regard to the lessons of the past, and that it would be “hard work for nothing”.
Beijing scholar Rong Jian commented: the president’s power is great, but still worried about being liquidated after stepping down, do the president to death, and can not escape from being liquidated after death, this is the president’s dilemma! Legislation to obtain lifetime immunity, is it possible? Once the power is given to someone else, can’t the law be changed? These practices are nothing but self-congratulation. To really get out of the presidential dilemma, the only way is to take the path of the constitution, legally gaining power and legally handing over power, relying on the constitution to keep individuals and families safe forever.
A netizen commented that the Ming Dynasty’s gold medal for exemption from death is actually a charm. To our dynasty, the law was trashed into scrap paper, written into the constitution of the party chairman Liu, vice chairman Lin did not all die a miserable death.
Another netizen commented that Putin so amend the law, but also may not guarantee a good end. Putin’s logic: amend the constitution to allow himself to extend his term at will; amend the law so that he and his family do not have to be held accountable for breaking the law. But the flaw in his logic is that if no one shakes his position, he doesn’t need to amend the law to protect him from being prosecuted after he leaves office; if Putin steps down, being tried becomes inevitable.
Others point out that there are ready examples in the former Soviet Union: “He forgot about Stalin, and after his death, his close comrade Khrushchev’s secret report on the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union revealed the crime of mass murder, and the Crystal Palace was destroyed. Might as well learn from the first president of Kazakhstan.” Others cited the names of Ceausescu, Gaddafi and others.
One user said: Putin dreamed into obsession, Mrs. crazy. I will be without me, the dictator are difficult to get out of the whole body.
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