Law as a Tool of Authoritarian Control in Contemporary Russia

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

Politically charged law enforcement in modern Russia is not solely aimed at suppressing real threats to the security of the political regime or society. It is not only that the authorities can use criminal prosecution methods to preempt threats that exist solely in their imagination, nor is it merely that they may grossly or selectively interpret the tasks of safeguarding societal security. In an authoritarian regime, politically charged law enforcement also shapes the agenda of public debate and imposes effective constraints on such debate, thereby influencing discussions not only of the present but also of the future and the past of the country. In particular, the authorities seek to portray repressive policy as a tool for breaking away from the negative legacy of the past, and themselves, accordingly, as a force leading the country into the future. The speakers will present their perspectives on how this strategy is reflected in the contours of politically charged law enforcement.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Ivan Fomin, Charles U in Prague (Czech Republic)

Papers

• The Tools and Techniques of Repressive Law in Russia - Lauren Alicia McCarthy, U of Massachusetts Amherst

• What has Changed in Politicized Law Enforcement in Russia since 2022 and What Has Not? -

• Persecution of Russian Nationalists Following the Outbreak of War -

• Forensic Expertise and Experts in Russian Counter-Extremism Litigation as a Tool of Repression - Dmitry Dubrovskiy, Charles U in Prague (Czech Republic)

Discussant

• William Eric Pomeranz, Woodrow Wilson Center, Kennan Institute