Members of the State Duma noted double standards of the UK policy in countering foreign intervention

The State Duma Commission on the Investigation of Foreign Interference in Russia's Internal Affairs reviewed the legislative proposals of the British Parliament on counteracting Russian meddling
Piskarev

That was announced by the Chairman of the Commission Vasilii Piskarev Piskarev Vasily Ivanovich Piskarev
Vasily Ivanovich
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“We are attentive to the best foreign experience of national parliaments on counteracting interference in the internal affairs of states. And of course, we as legislators are interested in the legislative proposals of the British parliamentarians,” said the Chairman of the Commission, commenting on the published report of the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament.

Vasilii Piskarev drew attention to that part of the report containing proposals of UK parliamentarians to develop legislative measures to ”tackle Russian aggressive action and influence in the United Kingdom“, by drawing on the experience of the United States, where the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was adopted in 1938.

“Please note that in contrast to Russian legislation, this legislative act contains strict sanctions against “foreign agents” even imprisonment up to five years. The interest of UK parliamentarians in US legislative norms is quite illustrative while there are numerous assaults of the largest British broadcasting corporation BBC, accusing Russia of the inadequacy of our legislation in relation to foreign agents in Russia,” the parliamentarian stressed.

“Our laws do not provide for such drastic measures. That is another example of a policy of double standards that London often use in relation to Russia,” said the Chairman of the Commission.

He also noted the facts that ”BBC, funded by the UK Government, has spread advocacy messages and encouraged to vote against the amendments to the Russian Constitution, and all that facts had been proven by the Russian competent authorities.“ The members of the Commission did not find evidence of Russian interference in the UK internal affairs in the highly publicized report, “only unsubstantiated accusations,” concluded Vasilii Piskarev.