The occupying “police” of Sevastopol informs that the city “court” fined the female resident for RUB 50 000 “ for promoting childfree policy”, so called “law on childfree propaganda”.
This is the first known case on the territories occupied by russia since the adoption of the law in November 2024.
The reason behind the fine was pictures posted by the woman on her social network page. According to the police record it is in breach with the part 3 of the Article 6.21 of the Code of the Administrative Offences (“Propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) benefits of gender reassignment, childfree stance”).
According to the information of the occupants, the staff of “Centre of fighting against extremism” have been monitoring the social networks. They claim that the woman, 29, posted “misanthropist things”, including “statements promoting childfree life as carefree lifestyle”.
As examples of the above-mentioned the occupants point out three pictures from the social networks of the woman: the collage of the characters of the films and series who extend the middle finger, the screenshot of the animated series “Rick and Morty”, as well as the photo of Quentin Tarantino citing his slogan “make movies, not kids”. It is not specified in which way the first two pictures have something in common with so called “childfree propaganda”.
The draft law envisaging fines for “childfree propaganda” on the internet, media, cinema and publicity was approved by the russian Duma and the Council of Federation in November 2024, then Putin signed it.
“Article 6.21 of the Code of the Administrative Offences is discriminatory on several grounds. The name itself of the Article is discriminating and stigmatizing people by gender. Here again it is one more suppression of freedom of expression. This article is one more tool enabling the occupants to persecute people for freedom of expression or for their respect of human rights values as enshrined in the [European] Convention on Human Rights. It is worth mentioning that the Convention at hand has been ratified by many countries and persecution on the mentioned grounds is a flagrant violation of the fundamental human rights”, Iryna SIEDOVA claims, the Crimean Human Rights Group researcher.
Olha SKRYPNYK, the Head of the Board of the Crieman Human Rights Group, finds that the administrative persecution under this article is also in breach with the right to respect the private and family life.
“A human being is free to make decision on family composition, to give birth or to restrain from it. By implementing such articles the russian power forces people to adhere to the worldview and lifestyle as it defined by the power which is a typical feature of the totalitarian regime” – the human rights defender claims.
