Duma Votes to Put Justice Beyond the Reach of Poorer Russians

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 23 – The Duma has approved a measure that will significantly raise the cost of almost all court filings both initial and appeals, effectively putting any hope for justice from that quarter beyond the reach of the poorer segments of the population of the Russian Federation.

            The new measure, likely to become law, raises the amount of money anyone turning to the courts must pay, by as much as 15 times, an amount that will be beyond the means of many Russians to pay (istories.media/news/2024/07/23/vlasti-vveli-novii-obrok-dlya-grazhdan-poshlini-v-sudakh-povisyat-v-10-15-raz/).

            That means that ordinary Russians won’t be able to bring suits in court to protect their rights and property or to appeal decisions against them, although the amounts are not so great – the largest of these new fees – 900,000 rubles (nine thousand US dollars) – is not so great that Russia’s better off citizens won’t be able to pay.

            The measure thus represents yet another example of the way in which the Putin regime is creating a social and political system in which there are two classes of people – the wealthy allies of the Kremlin who are able to enjoy at least some of the rights ostensibly guaranteed by the constitution and everyone else who lacks that possibility.