Moscow
Russia got a new criminal code this week that finally does away with the summary justice of the Soviet era. The old code, written in 1960 under Nikita Krushchev, presumed a suspect’s guilt from the moment of arrest. The judge’s role was to work with the prosecutors, not as an objective arbiter, and the conviction rate was more than 90 percent. Now Russians are entitled to hear the charges against them promptly and to appear in court with a defense attorney. President Vladimir Putin has pushed aggressively for a Western-style justice system as part of his plan to create “a dictatorship of law.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
