The CSTO Expert Advisory Board has approved the Concept of Recommendations on the Criminalization of the Rehabilitation of Nazism and Humiliation of Military Veterans

Recommendations on the Criminalization of Actions Related to Attempts to Rehabilitate Nazism, Distort Historical Truth, Humiliate Honour and Dignity of Military Veterans, Equate USSR’s Role to Germany’s in the Second World War and Belittle the Humanitarian Mission of the USSR in the Liberation of Europe are being developed in accordance with the 2021–2025 CSTO PA Action Plan on Approximation and Harmonization of National Legislation of the CSTO Member States.
The CSTO PA Council decided to include the drafting of the Recommendations into the Action Plan on November 29, 2021.
According to the explanatory note to the Concept of Recommendations, the image of the Great Patriotic War and the Victory remains a symbol of unity of people of different nationalities, social and age groups in all CSTO Member States. The enormous patriotic meaning of the image of the Victory remains relevant because it expresses the enormous power of the spirit of a nation that cannot be conquered or subjugated, and precisely for this reason history has brought it to the forefront of the construction of a new world.
At the same time, it is noted that the awareness of this fact requires treating with particular attention the recurrent attempts to offer society a “new interpretation,” to revise the established perceptions regarding the origin of the Second World War, the circumstances of its initiation and the role and place of the Great Patriotic War in the history of the twentieth century.
At present, a number of foreign states actively implement information campaigns aimed at exerting information and psychological influence on the public conscience of the citizens of the CSTO States with the sole aim of discrediting the role of the Soviet Union and its armed forces in the victory over Germany in the Second World War.
Destructive information campaigns actively promote the idea that Hitler Germany’s accomplices from among the local population of the occupied territories in 1939–1945 acted as national liberators. This idea is used to “justify” war crimes committed by these persons. In addition, such ideas have a fundamental impact on the perception of the role of the Soviet Union in the Second World War. In particular, in the public mind, the Soviet Union is transformed from a liberator of the peoples of Europe into an aggressor state, guilty, along with Nazi Germany, of starting the war.
Apart from persistent attempts to falsify historical facts in order to minimize the role of the USSR in the Victory over Nazi Germany, trends towards the glorification of Nazism can be observed in a number of foreign countries. This is currently expressed in the following ways:
1) the promotion of Nazi symbols;
2) the elevation to the rank of national heroes of those who fought against the USSR or collaborated with the Nazis;
3) the destruction, dismantling and desecration of Soviet monuments to the liberating soldiers;
4) the growth and legitimization of radical nationalist organizations and movements supporting the fascist ideology.
The main danger of this activity lies in the potential development of a threat to the transformation of the historical consciousness of the citizens of the CSTO States and the destruction of the historical and cultural basis of the civil identity of society.
It is not only the CSTO States that face manipulation of historical facts.
Many states are taking certain steps, primarily in the legal domain, aimed at countering the falsification of history and the distortion of the historical truth. This is achieved through various legal means, such as the establishment of liability, including criminal liability. For example, a number of states have criminalized Holocaust denial, and France has criminalized the denial of the Armenian genocide of 1915–1916.
Interparliamentary cooperation between the CIS and CSTO Member States has provided certain experience in establishing a legal framework for countering attempts to rehabilitate Nazism.
For example, in 2012, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member Nations adopted a model law On the Inadmissibility of Actions to Rehabilitate Nazism or Glorify Nazi Criminals and Their Accomplices.
In furtherance of the provisions of this model law, in 2019 the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly adopted Recommendations on the Improvement of the CSTO Member States’ National Legislation on Countering Nazism and Its Manifestations. The document presents the results of an analysis of the concept of Nazism in the national legislation of the CSTO Member States, examines possible manifestations of Nazism and formulates proposals to improve the system of legal regulation of countering manifestations of Nazism and the spread of Nazi symbols.
A comparative legal review of the national legislation of the CSTO States has shown that the laws of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation contain the most detailed legal regulation of issues related to countering attempts to rehabilitate Nazism.
Criminal legislation of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan contains provisions criminalizing incitement to (instigation of) ethnic, racial or religious hatred (discord) and the destruction or damage of historical and cultural monuments. Specific aspects of countering the rehabilitation of Nazism are partly covered by the national laws on combating extremism (extremist activity).
In view of these circumstances, there is currently a need to approximate the CSTO Member States’ legislation to regulate liability for acts associated with attempts to rehabilitate Nazism.
This issue is to be resolved by adopting Recommendations on the Criminalization of Actions Related to Attempts to Rehabilitate Nazism, Distort Historical Truth, Humiliate the Honour and Dignity of Military Veterans, Equate the USSR’s Role to Germany’s in the Second World War and Belittle the Humanitarian Mission of the USSR in the Liberation of Europe.
The main aim of developing these Recommendations is to enable the CSTO Member States to form harmonized and unified approaches to the criminalization of acts related to attempts to rehabilitate Nazism, distort historical truth, humiliate the honour and dignity of military veterans, equate the USSR’s role to Germany’s in the Second World War and belittle the humanitarian mission of the USSR in the liberation of Europe.
The Recommendations’ provisions will clarify and supplement the previously adopted model acts of the CSTO and the CIS. There is active work going on currently on the first version of the draft Recommendations, and in June 2022 it is planned to be submitted for approval to the relevant public authorities and research and expert institutions.
The finalized and agreed draft Recommendations are planned to be presented for consideration at the next meeting of the Expert Advisory Board under the CSTO PA Council in autumn 2022.