State Duma offers to sentence dog hunters to up to 3 years in prison

On Tuesday, the State Duma received a bill, which offers to fine the so-called dog hunters large sums of money - up to 500,000 roubles, sentence them to three years in prison or subject to a psychiatric examination with possible compulsory treatment. A Just Russia deputy Oleg Mikheyev put forward the initiative. “Russian megapolises cold shouldered by the groups of people, who destroy the animals on the permanent basis by shooting, the scattering of poisoned baits,” the lawmaker recalled. “These communities, which were called ‘dog hunters’ are waging the open propaganda of their sadistic activities through the Internet, using loopholes in the criminal legislation,” he stated. Mikheyev has drafted a new reading of Article 245 of the Criminal Code for a brutal attitude to the animals. In particular, he finds it necessary to punish “for a brutal attitude to the animals that entailed their death or wounds, if this offence is committed with hooliganism motives or with sordid considerations or with the use of sadistic methods or in the presence of underage children.” The bill envisaged the fines from 150,000 to 400,000 roubles or compulsory works from 150 to 300 hours and the deprivation of freedom for up to two years in prison. The same offence, which was committed by a group in a preliminary conspiracy or an organized group, Mikheyev finds it necessary to punish the offenders with a fine from 300,000 to 500,000 roubles or compulsory works from 300 to 480 hours, or correctional works of up to three years or the deprivation of freedom for the same term. Meanwhile, the deputy offers to introduce in Article 245 of the Russian Criminal Code Clause 4 that will envisage “a compulsory psychiatric examination of people, who are convicted for a brutal attitude to animals and possible mandatory medical measures against them.” “This fact will permit to give the psychiatric aid to people, who are inclined to sadism and violence, suppress their anti-public conduct and isolate from the society in case of extreme necessity,” Mikheyev explained. “Meanwhile, the database of people, who were caught red-handed for a brutal attitude to animals, will help considerably the profile specialists, if the search of serial killers is needed,” he said. One more provision of the bill envisages the putting of the websites of the dog hunters on the so-called blacklist of the website of the Russian telecommunications watchdog with further shutdown “in order to protect the public morality.”