Proposed Crackdown on 'Occult Magic' Reaches Russia's Parliament

May 19, 2017

Russia's astrologists, clairvoyants and traditional healers could soon face jail time for operating working without a license in a proposed clampdown on “occult magical activity.”

The new bill, which was submitted to the Russian parliament on Friday, would punish mystics if their advice harms human health or damages property.

Traditional healers or other alternative therapists would face a maximum of five years imprisonment if their work resulted in a client's death.

United Russia Deputy Vitaly Milonov, infamous for pioneering Russia's “gay propaganda bill,” authored the plans. He said that according to research from the Russian Academy of Medicine, 95 percent of traditional healers had no medical education.

He also told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that 40 percent of mystics and other healers “suffered from mental health disorders.”

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