The football world Cup in Russia was a front for the bad news: from raising the retirement age to conflict of Rosobrnadzor and independent of the Moscow Shoninki. But in June happened, and a lot of good. “Pravmir” has prepared a selection of summer events that can make life in Russia better.
Photo: unsplash
- Civil society vs. The state Duma – 1:0
- “People go to Church, because bad work of the SSA and clinics”
- All we can do is to ask for mercy and to wash the floor like a virgin
- Lungin, Posner and Khamatova are asking the President to pardon Oleg Sentsov
- The reverse side of the ball: 5 bad news, not seen during the world Cup
A waiver of the prohibition of American medicine
What happened?
Russia will not include medications from the United States in the sanctions lists. The state Duma has allowed the government to install prohibitive tariffs on American products in may 2018. So the Russian authorities reacted to the decision of the American President Donald trump to set import duties on steel and aluminum. The law “On measures against hostile actions of the United States and other foreign States” among the potentially prohibited goods mentioned American drugs having analogues in Russia. However, the government has decided to limit road-building machinery and some other goods.
Why is it important?
Because in Russia a lot of people depend on foreign drugs. Often Russian analogues either lower quality, or not enough of them to satisfy domestic demand. It is, for example, insulin for diabetics, drugs for the treatment of cancer and ease the situation of patients with hemophilia. In addition, the United States imported equipment for quality palliative care. According to the CEO of the pharmaceutical company IQVIA of Nikolay Demidov, in the treatment of certain diseases, the ban on foreign drugs could cause a rollback to the treatment of the previous generation. It would have greatly deteriorated the quality of life of patients.
But soon the drugs from the United States will not fall under sanctions, the possibility that this will happen in the future cannot be ruled out – it is fixed in a spring law.
What they say about American medicine?
– “Do no harm” – is the oldest principle of medical ethics entered, is Hippocrates. You can restrict the import of alcohol and tobacco. Any restrictions, of course, unpleasant, but they do not threaten life and health. Other business – pharmaceutical market, the condition of which directly depends on the availability of drugs, and hence our chance to cope with their ailments and diseases, our life expectancy, the ability to nurse prematurely born children, to alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill. And that’s why preventing hostile action of any enemies, it is absolutely unacceptable to put even a minimal risk of drug market.
Ekaterina Chistyakova, Director of the charity “give life”
New conversion of period in jail to inmates
What happened?
The state Duma all-taki has passed in the second reading amendments to the Criminal code, equating one day of detention in jail for fifteen days in the colony or two days in a colony-settlement. This bill entered Parliament ten years ago – June 20, 2008, but before the first reading he reached only in 2015, while the second – three years later. Against the adoption of the amendments were made by law enforcement: if the new rules will come into force, they will have fewer opportunities to put pressure on suspects in prison: the more time people spend in detention until your trial, the less will be the term of his sentence.
The law will not apply to recidivists or people who have committed serious crimes, such as acts of terrorism, murder or rape – they are found in strict regime colonies and for them to one day in jail and will remain equal to one day of imprisonment. On the other hand, a new way will be considered and the period of house arrest: if he now counts as a punishment of one to one, after the adoption of the new rules, the ratio would not be in favor of the convict – one day of house arrest for half a day in prison.
Why is it important?
“The arrest is the punishment before the verdict”, – described the situation of trapped people in jail the author of the bill, the Chairman of the Duma Committee on state construction and the legislation Pavel Krasheninnikov (United Russia). Unfortunately, the law will not affect the overall nature of the conviction of the Russian law enforcement system, but will significantly reduce the number of prisoners put behind bars for crimes not connected with violence against the person. From 80 thousand to 100 thousand people will be able to be released in connection with conversion of their terms under the new rules – the law is retroactive, and in this respect it will have the effect of the Amnesty. In General, according to Pavel Krasheninnikov, the conversion time will affect “hundreds of thousands of people.”
In Russia, in the colonies of strict and General regime are about 485,4 million people, or 35.1 thousand people are in prisons. The number of prisoners per capita among developed countries Russia is second only to the United States. Any reform, softening the situation of prisoners of petty crimes – a step toward more civilized law enforcement system.
What they say about Russian prison?
– No opinion on the court, and a preliminary conclusion becomes the main repressive tool. At this stage there is major crackdown, at this stage there is the nudity of those who sit on economic crimes, defending those charged under political articles. Despite the fact that all know what the verdict will be guilty, because acquittals we actually banned trade and the pressure is on the question of the form of punishment, about the conditions of his release, on conditions and terms of stay in jail. It turns out, prison is the most difficult stage in the life of the person who is under investigation.
Ekaterina Shulman, a political scientist
Please pardon the starving Oleg Sentsov
What happened?
Russian cultural figures wrote to President Vladimir Putin’s request to pardon a Ukrainian Director Oleg Sentsov, who was convicted on charges of terrorism for 20 years in a strict regime colony. He’s serving time on the Yamal Peninsula. A statement published on the website of “echo of Moscow”, signed by the actress Chulpan Khamatova, directed by Konstantin Bronzit, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Pavel Lungin, Yuri Norstein, Alexander Sokurov, Valery Todorovsky, Alexey Uchitel, Alexey Fedorchenko, TV presenters Vladimir Pozner and Ksenia Sobchak, the head of “Roskino” Ekaterina Mtsituridze.
Russian law enforcers accused the Director, the author of the film “gamer”, in the preparation of the arson of the “United Russia” in Sevastopol in 2014. While the evidence for the involvement of Sentsov in violent actions, he was charged only in the organization of the alleged attacks. The life of Oleg Sentsov is under threat: a month before the world Cup he went on hunger strike to demand the release of dozens of Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia. He considers them political prisoners. Five weeks of hunger strike, the Director has lost 13 kg.
Why is it important?
“We don’t think his guilt is so great that she was given 20 years,” wrote the authors. The story of Oleg Sentsov has not only political implications. This is the story of a state that is able to show mercy or cruelty. “Sentsov” has caused the big public resonance. In 2014, about the release of the Director requested his colleague Nikita Mikhalkov in support of Oleg Sentsov spoke and foreign stars: Andrzej Wajda, cate Blanchett, johnny Depp, Aki Kaurismaki, WIM Wenders, Jonathan Franzen and others. Mass conversion of domestic cultural figures personally to President Putin – is the transition of the discussion around the fate of Ukrainian filmmaker to a new level and the chance to show humanism to the Russian authorities.
What they say about Oleg Sentsov?
In the case of the same starving Sentsov: do not understand what it right and what is wrong (without us is full of “razbiralsya”), and to demand relief. Ask – from whom? Start with yourself. To demand MERCY. Do not fold the sponge in chicken ass, as my grandmother would say, not to do the smart “political” entities, not to talk about each case, and to demand RELIEF. For example, Sentsov. And not him alone. To those who are poor, oppressed, miserable, stupid, criminal, unknown – MERCY. Especially those who stand up no one MERCY.
Tatiana Krasnova, journalist, Professor of Moscow state University, coordinator of the charitable community “Envelope for God”
Translation of medical insurance unemployed on the Federal level
What happened?
The Finance Ministry has announced readiness to take over the payments on obligatory medical insurance (OMS) idle citizens: pensioners, students and unemployed. While these funds are transferred to the relevant funds of regional budgets. Total in Russia for various reasons are not working about 50 million people (over 40 million of them pensioners). In 2017, the size of the regional contributions for compulsory health insurance was estimated at 618 billion roubles. Medical payments for unemployed people up from 1.3% (in Moscow) to 10% (the Altai territory) annual costs, on average, about 7% of expenses of subjects of Federation.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that the Federation is ready to allocate annually 500 billion for the HIF.
Why is it important?
First, the initiative of the Ministry of Finance has finally unveiled an alternative to the so-called “tax on profits”. In 2016, the government plans to oblige to pay the fees of OMS themselves unemployed. The Minister of labour and social protection Maxim Topilin called the payment amount “for the actual use of social infrastructure” in 20 thousand roubles a year. Charge they intended with those who receive “salaries in envelopes”, however, suffer from a “tax on parasitism” could and disadvantaged citizens.
Second, the released funds can go towards developing local health services. This follows directly from the ideas of Finance Ministry to centralize payments of OMS to give the regions resources for the execution of presidential “may decree” in 2018.
What they say about health insurance?
– If the person is disabled, and it introduced the obligation to pay the relevant contributions from public funds? That is, on the one hand, it was proposed to increase unemployment benefits, and on the other to further charge a certain amount extra-budgetary funds. The logic is broken.
Yaroslav Nilov, Chairman of the Duma Committee on labor, social policy and veterans ‘ Affairs (“REGNUM“)