Rights defenders treat trials of Nalchik residents for anthem disrespect as excessive

A refusal to stand up during the playing of the Russian anthem falls under administrative liability, but the cases initiated against graduates' parents in Nalchik for anthem disrespect are overblown and politicized, lawyers and human rights defenders have pointed out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 7, law enforcers drew up administrative protocols against the parents of school graduates who did not get up from their chairs during the playing of the Russian anthem at the graduation ceremony. The cases against nine Nalchik residents have been sent to courts, eight of them were fined.

Zaur Shokuev, a lawyer with the Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Human Rights Centre, sees a violation of the law in Nalchik residents' actions, who were fined for disrespecting the Russian anthem. According to his version, the law states that the anthem must be heard while standing.

The case in Nalchik can be called unique, says a lawyer from the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence*. “Prosecution for failure to stand up during the anthem can be attributed to exclusive situations. Earlier, such facts were given no importance; now they can be treated as “tightening the screws” in terms of prosecution for insufficient demonstration of patriotism,” the lawyer has added, noting that, according to the law, one should listen to the anthem while standing, but failure to stand up does not reach the level of desecration.

Valery Khatazhukov, a human rights defender, treats the cases against residents of Nalchik as politicized. In his opinion, it was only possible to talk with these people and explain to them what the claims were.

Let us recall that the "RusHydro" Company reported that among the participants in the gala event who showed disrespect for the Russian anthem was an employee of the Company's branch in Kabardino-Balkaria. The company demanded a public apology from him, saying that his actions had offended society and his colleagues.

*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of "inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces."