Russian President Vladimir Putin has promulgated a law expanding the list of persons subject to mandatory genomic registration (collection of DNA samples) to include persons suspected of committing crimes, TASS reports.

The document was published on the public information portal of the Russian government on Monday.

Previously, genomic registration in Russia was mandatory only for persons sentenced to imprisonment for serious or particularly serious crimes, for crimes against sexual integrity and sexual freedom of the individual, as well as for unidentified persons from whom biological samples were taken during investigative actions material. .

However, the new rules establish that the mandatory collection and registration of DNA applies to all those sentenced to imprisonment, as well as to suspects and accused of committing crimes and persons subject to administrative arrest.

According to the document, convicts and suspects can request the destruction of their genomic information if they are eligible for rehabilitation.

The same can be demanded by persons who are under administrative procedure, in case of annulment of the court decision on the crime committed by them.

The law, with the exception of some provisions, enters into force 90 days after its official publication.

Basically, Russia wants to create a DNA database of dissidents

The new changes to Russian law came after authorities in Moscow passed several laws that criminalize any account of the war in Ukraine that deviates from the official language and narrative approved by the Kremlin.

Last December, a new version of the law on “foreign agents” came into effect in Russia, which effectively gives the Russian authorities an expanded tool to suppress any form of dissent.

The 2012 Foreign Agents Act, passed after a wave of public protests against Putin’s return to power, required organizations that engage in political activity and receive foreign funding to register as foreign agents and adhere to draconian rules and restrictions.

Since then, this law has been gradually updated and has become the basis for an increasingly harsh suppression of civil society in Russia over the past decade.

Since December, this definition has been expanded to include not only individuals or organizations that receive funding from abroad, but also those that “receive support and (or) are under foreign influence.” The law does not contain many details.

“Support” from foreign sources means not only financial, but also “organizational-methodical or scientific-technical assistance.”

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