Concept of honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is nothing more than a form of rewarding an individual directly for outstanding services. They, one way or another, relate to increasing the well-being and prestige of the population of a certain territorial unit. This could be a city, commune, region, region or the state as a whole.
It is interesting to know that honorary citizenship disappeared in the Soviet Russian state along with the destruction of ranks and classes. A significant addition is that the concept in question regarding cities was not abolished, but nevertheless attention in its direction has significantly decreased. Why did the title of honorary citizen of the city then practically cease to exist? Most likely, the reason for this was the situation, which assumed that the majority of special categories of citizens, awarded such a high title directly for charity, belonged to the classes that carried out and regulated the processes of government.
It was then that fundamentally different forms of recognition by society, known at the present stage of development of the Russian state, began their legal existence. Thus, the sign “Honorary Citizen of Russia” at that time was replaced by worthy alternatives in the form of the titles of honorary deputy of the Council, honorary Red Army soldier or honorary drummer. In addition, special attention from state governing bodies was paid to Stakhanovites, workers and collective farmers. The titles of honorary residents of various cities (citizens), as well as honorary peasants, were of particular relevance. It is important to add that the above-listed incentives for outstanding services, which set the starting point for their existence back in the days of the Soviet Union, in accordance with their content, had much in common directly with modern honorary citizenship.
§ 32 Honorary citizenship
§ 32 Honorary citizenship
The second, after the nobility, privileged class is honorary citizenship, established in 1832. The motivation for the formation of this class was the desire to limit the desire of all more or less educated people to obtain the nobility, creating a middle honorary class, exempt from corporal punishment, from recruitment, from registration in capitation salary, from the disciplinary power of tax societies.
Due to the fact that at that time the majority of our rural population was in serfdom, this meant only urban inhabitants, and therefore honorary citizenship was supposed to be made for the highest urban class. These goals of the legislator, however, turned out to be unachieved. With the abolition of corporal punishment as a general punitive measure, with the introduction of general military service, with the abolition of the poll tax, most of the privileges granted to honorary citizenship lost their meaning, and therefore honorary citizenship no longer has a sufficiently honorable position. It was not possible to form honorary citizens into an honorable urban class in the proper sense of the word.
The law classifies honorary citizenship as a city status, but does not establish, however, any real connection between honorary citizens and the city. An honorary citizen does not belong, as such, to urban society. In order to have the right to vote in city electoral assemblies, he must satisfy the same conditions as any other person who does not belong to any of the city classes. Honorary citizens also do not form special urban class societies in cities, like merchants, guilds or burghers. Honorary citizenship does not have a corporate class organization at all. Then, the conditions for acquiring honorary citizenship are such that they do not imply any connection with any city or city industries. A person who has never been to any city can even become an honorary citizen by birth; for example, the daughter of a village sexton who married a peasant still has the rights of personal honorary citizenship. A peasant who has completed a course at an agricultural school with at least the second category, after three years of practical training in agriculture, therefore, while living necessarily outside the city, is awarded personal honorary citizenship. Moreover, every Kalmyk zaisang receives the same rights of honorary citizenship. Of course, such persons cannot in any sense be considered urban inhabitants. That is why, contrary to the system of the Code of Laws, in my presentation I do not attribute honorary citizens to the urban state, but consider them, like the nobility, as a special class, not confined to either urban or rural inhabitants.
Honorary citizenship is divided into hereditary and personal, given only to the wife. The conditions for purchasing both are quite varied.
Regarding hereditary citizenship, the law distinguishes three categories of persons, according to the fact that some belong to this state by right of birth; others can only ask to be included in it; still others are included in the list based on special proposals from the relevant ministers.¹*
By right of birth, the children of: 1) personal nobles, 2) clergy of recognized Christian denominations, 3) Orthodox clergy with academic degrees, 4) Transcaucasian sheikh-ul-Islams and muftis who have served in their office for at least 20 years, and 5) belong to the hereditary citizenship. Tiflis makalaki (Article 502).
The following may apply for inclusion in hereditary citizenship: 1) those with an academic degree of at least a master’s degree (Article 503, paragraph 1, 2, 3, 9); 2) those who received the title of agronomist after five years or the title of scientific manager after seven years of certified farming (clauses 10 and 11); 3) artists of the first category of the Imperial Theaters with 15 years of service (clause 4); 4) who corrected the position of Karaite gaham for 11 years (clause 5); 5) Kalmyk zaisangs who own hereditary aimaks (clause 6); students of an agricultural school who were engaged in farming for 7 years. In addition, among the merchants: 1) commerce and manufacturing advisors, 2) who received orders or rank, 3) who served without fault for at least 20 years in a row in the first guild, and 4) who acquired property in the western provinces without receiving loans or transferring debt at a price not lower than 15,000 rubles, and with a loan or transfer of debt at a cost of at least 30,000 rubles. (Article 505).
Finally, the following may be considered for inclusion: 1) artists who have certificates from the Academy of Arts, after 10 years; engineer-technologists and technologists - technological institutes after 10 years of certified training in the technical part; 3) forestry conductors upon retirement and 4) residents of the cities of Anapa, Novorossiysk, Poti, Petrovsk and Sukhum for special merits (Article 504).
By right, without special request, personal citizenship is received by: 1) persons adopted by hereditary nobles and hereditary honorary citizens (Code of Civil Laws, cont. 1895, Art. 153).²*
The following may apply for personal citizenship: 1) candidates, actual students and those who have received first or second class diplomas, 2) various categories of persons also educated, 3) artists with 10 years of service, 4) zaisangs who do not own hereditary aimags, 5) those who have received first class rank, 6) Karaite ghazans and shamashis (Article 506³*, containing only 41 points).
The following may be worthy of inclusion in special nominations: 1) persons who have completed a course in various technical schools and teachers' seminaries; 2) Jews: a) consisting of honorary guardians of Jewish schools, b) keepers of Jewish schools and c) appointed by governors to carry out assignments requiring special knowledge of Jewish law, and 3) senior Akhun of the Mohammedan clergy of the Guards Corps (Article 507).⁴*
The inclusion of persons honored with this status only on the basis of special ideas is carried out by the Highest decrees. All other persons are included in honorary citizenship by the authority of the Senate, in the department of heraldry, where petitions for this are submitted (Articles 508, 515).⁵*
All these rules were supplemented by law on July 2, 1892 with a decree⁶* that all persons who have demonstrated any useful activity for at least 10 years can be elevated to personal honorary citizenship; Hereditary honorary citizenship is given to those personal citizens who have discovered the same activity.
The special rights enjoyed by honorary citizens are few. They are the same for hereditary and personal citizens. The law lists them under four headings: 1) freedom from capitation salary, 2) freedom from corporal punishment, 3) the right to be called honorary citizens in all acts, with this name attached to the name of the guild, if anyone is registered in it, and 4) the right participate in elections on real estate in the city and be elected to city public positions no lower than those to which merchants of both guilds enter, in those areas where the City Regulations of 1870 were not introduced (Article 563).⁶*
With the abolition of the poll tax and the introduction of the City Regulations, only freedom from corporal punishment and the right to be called an honorary citizen retain real significance. However, as I have already indicated, the abolition of the poll tax has not yet led to the complete destruction of the distinction between taxable and non-taxable states. Therefore, although all classes are now free from the poll tax, the previous special exemption from it has the meaning of non-belonging to the tax estate, and with this is associated the absence of the obligation to register with tax societies and freedom of movement.
Providing all these benefits to honorary citizens is, of course, a very good thing. But in the form it received after the abolition of serfdom, it causes very great evil for the composition of rural inhabitants and rural and volost institutions. In their practical effect, these legal provisions appear to be a pump, sucking out all the slightest germs of education from the peasant environment and peasant institutions. Peasants who completed a course in agricultural schools and were engaged in agriculture for three years, students of the Assumption Agricultural School, awarded the title of village clerks or gardeners, after ten years of farming or gardening, and finally, all peasants in general who performed any kind of work for ten years useful activities are considered personal honorary citizens, and those who continue the same activity with the title of personal citizenship for another ten years are given hereditary honorary citizenship. Thus, every more or less educated peasant becomes an honorary citizen and, as such, is excluded from participation in village and volost assemblies; he can no longer participate in assemblies, nor be elected to village elders, volost elders, members of volost councils, to volost judges. In a word, the composition of peasant institutions is doomed to complete and absolute ignorance. No educated people are allowed into them at all.
Meanwhile, to improve our rural management, of course, it is first of all necessary to raise the educational level of the peasants. To achieve this, it is necessary to change the relationship of newly elevated peasants to the rural societies to which they belonged. They should not be excluded from society, but, on the contrary, it is necessary, while preserving for them all the benefits provided to them, freedom from corporal punishment, freedom from the disciplinary power of rural society, freedom of movement, it is necessary to preserve for them all the rights to participate in village and volost assemblies, election to all positions of rural and volost administration. Only under this condition can the level of mental and moral development of the peasants rise and the order of peasant governance improve. At the same time, this would naturally lead little by little, gradually and imperceptibly to the formation of common class volosts. The sons of wealthy peasants would then, even receiving a university education, retain for themselves, in cases of continuing to engage in agriculture, all the rights to participate in peasant gatherings and to be elected to peasant positions. Then, when we have wealthy, educated people as volost elders, village elders, and volost judges, our rural administration can achieve perfection.
Notes:
¹* In the current edition of the IX volume of 1899, regarding hereditary citizenship, two categories of persons are distinguished: 1) belonging to this state by right of birth and 2) worthy of inclusion in it on the basis of the subject charters and legislation (Articles 511 and 514).
²* Persons belonging to personal honorary citizenship in edition IX Vol. 1899 are listed in Art. 512, and the awarded inclusions to it on the basis of the subject charters and legislation - in Art. 515.
³* [See Art. 515 t. IX St. zak., ed. 1899]
⁴* [Art. 516 and 517.]
⁵* [Collected Uzak. 1892, art. 730. Add. right Art. 3. Art. 513 t. IX St. zak., ed. 1899]
⁶* [See Art. 504.]
Pages of history
As it turned out in the first chapter, the institution of honorary citizenship was almost completely eradicated. However, the title of honorary citizen of Russia resumed its life after a certain period of time. Thus, already in 1967 it was introduced by state authorities in thirty-six centers of republican, regional and regional significance. A very interesting fact is that soon such a worthy title began to be awarded in almost all centers. The insignia was relevant for citizens at various levels, be it a republican, regional or regional degree. In addition, government authorities have introduced awards for active residents of cities, regional centers, agricultural towns (urban-type settlements), as well as villages. It was quite unexpected that the corresponding titles began to be officially established for honorary citizens of the district, district and, of course, the region.
Honorary citizenship has finally received official legal registration directly in the regulatory legislation regarding state local governments. As a rule, it came down to the release of two important documents. The first of these was the decision to carry out the operation to establish an honorary title. The second was the provision on conferring the title of honorary citizen.
It is important to add that over the years of the relevance of Soviet power, the status discussed in the article was assigned to a great many outstanding personalities. Among them is Yuri Alekseevich Gagariy. After all, it is impossible not to know about his services to the Motherland! The fact is that he received not only the title of honorary citizen of Russia, but also similar thanks from various cities. In the process of making accurate calculations, it turned out that Yuri Alekseevich “conquered” more than three hundred cities of the Russian state.
By the way, the recording of the names of absolutely all honorary citizens was carried out in accordance with the chronological sequence in a book specially established for these purposes. It is important to add that it was called the “Book of Honorary Citizens of the City.” Storage was carried out directly in the city council. It is difficult to argue with the fact that today it can be considered a unique history of such an institution as honorary citizenship, surprising and interesting.
Another variant
The second option in terms of honorary citizenship was defined in the relevant Law issued in 1991. Thus, in accordance with the eighth article of this legislative act, it was determined that an individual who was not a citizen of the Russian state, but at the same time had outstanding services directly to Russia or a community of global importance, if he agreed, could be given a certificate of an honorary citizen of the Russian Federation. Federation. What is the main difference between this provision? The fact is that previous options regarding honorary citizenship, which were used in the Russian state, were mainly and exclusively associated with its own citizens. This insignia applied only to citizens of other countries.
In accordance with the second part of the eighth article of the Law in question, honorary citizens of the Russian state had similar rights that apply directly to residents of the Russian Federation under the Regulations on Honorary Citizenship of the Russian Federation. Due to the fact that such a provision was not adopted by the state authorities, similar situations regarding the granting of citizenship are not known.
Posthumous award
Insignia of an honorary citizen of Berlin on the grave of Marlene Dietrich
Honorary citizenship can be awarded to famous personalities posthumously. Thus, in 1970, East Berlin recognized the Berlin artists Heinrich Zille (lived 1858–1929)[11] and Otto Nagel (lived 1894–1967) with this distinction.
In 1975, the title of honorary citizen was awarded to the memory of the first commandant of post-war Berlin, Colonel General Nikolai Berzarin (life 1904-1945).
In 2002, reunified Berlin awarded the title of honorary citizenship to the famous actress Marlene Dietrich, who died in 1992.
In 2010, the title of honorary citizen of the Sverdlovsk region was posthumously awarded to the first President of the Russian Federation, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin[12].
The awarding of such a distinction is usually accompanied by a ceremony at the memorial grave.
Current Law
The current Law on Honorary Citizenship, issued in 2002, does not provide for the form of incentive discussed in the article. However, in certain regions of the Russian Federation its use continues to this day (most likely due to corresponding habits and traditions).
For example, the first article of the Law of the Saratov Region dated July 20, 1997 “On an Honorary Resident of the Saratov Region” defines the following: the title of honorary citizen of the region must be established for such primary purposes as recognition of outstanding achievements and merits of those citizens who have made a significant contribution in the development of production, scientific, educational, cultural, as well as government areas of society, and also showed heroism and courage directly in the process of fulfilling their civic duty in relation to the defense of the Fatherland, current individual rights and freedoms.
Below are the reasons for awarding such a high title of honorary citizens under the eleventh article of the Law of the Saratov Region:
- Fame among citizens of the Saratov region, which is long-term and sustainable. It is important to add that honorary citizenship is granted, as a rule, due to active charitable activities of a resident of the region.
- Performing truly heroic, courageous acts directly for the benefit of the entire region, as well as its inhabitants.
- The authority of a person in relation to citizens of the region. As a rule, this is achieved through various types of activities with outstanding results, both for the region and for the Russian Federation as a whole. By the way, these could be areas such as culture, science, politics, economics, social movements, and so on.
The procedure for assigning the title
It is important to note that the title of honorary citizen is awarded in a personal manner. In addition, it is for life in relation to citizens of Russia, foreign citizens and stateless persons of a particular country, and under no circumstances can it be revoked. Thus, a diploma, ribbon, and also a badge are presented to the honorary person by state authorities. All of the listed symbols are official confirmation of such a high status. By the way, in this case, it is also relevant to present a certain document, which in writing confirms the fact that the individual has been directly awarded this title, as well as the issuance of a special certificate.
It is interesting to add that if the required person is not present at the ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances or death, the title of honorary citizen of the city, for example, is awarded to her heirs. In addition, such a large-scale event takes place directly in the presence of deputies, as well as representatives of the public.
Today, all honorary citizens of various levels are entitled to publicly use this title due to its high-profile name. In this regard, the relevant information must be entered into the book of honorary citizens of a certain region or region, if any, within thirty days from the date of assignment of status. As a rule, it is kept in the regional Duma.
Benefits of honorary citizens
An honorary citizen of St. Petersburg, for example, is necessarily invited to events dedicated to public holidays, city anniversaries and similar important events. In addition, in this case, the anniversaries of individuals who have been awarded the title of honorary citizen are celebrated. After the death of a person with such a high status, the certificate, ribbon, badge and, of course, the official certificate, which are described in the previous chapter, are given for storage to the local history museum. It is important to supplement this paragraph with information that the heirs of the honorary citizen have the right to slightly change the course of events and not send the presented symbols to the museum. An interesting fact is also the following: the title, information about which is discussed in the article, is not assigned to individuals who have an unexpunged or unexpunged criminal record.
Award Honorary Citizen of Russia: list, benefits and payments
On the same site you can evaluate how unique the title of Honorary Citizen of Russia is - the list by city and republic has been published in full. It includes, for example, such popular personalities as Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Vyacheslav Zaitsev and Valery Zolotukhin, as well as people known only in their city.
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The fact is that this award is public, not state, therefore, when an honorary citizen of Russia is awarded the order, benefits and payments are not provided. However, monetary incentives can be received from a company if, for example, a person has worked for it for decades, contributed to its prosperity, and in the end the management decided to recognize the employee with an order with a sonorous name and provide financial support.
Rights of an honorary citizen
In accordance with current legislation, an honorary citizen has the right to:
- Enter the premises and buildings occupied by state authorities, as well as local government bodies. To do this, you just need to present the appropriate identification.
- The Chairman of the Duma, the governor or other officials of state authorities, heads of self-government bodies at the local level and heads of enterprises, organizations, as well as state-level institutions located in the relevant territory must immediately, if necessary, receive an honorary citizen.
- Be served in any hall of official delegations at automobile, railway, river stations and at airports of the corresponding territorial unit.
Cancel
In Germany, honorary citizenship granted under the Nazi dictatorship is being challenged and revoked. Hitler, in particular, was an honorary citizen of about 4,000 cities. For war criminals, the abolition occurs in accordance with regulations adopted on October 12, 1946 by the Control Council and presupposing a judicial verdict. In the absence of such a verdict, German cities after the war symbolically abolished this insignia for deceased rulers.
In 1948, the Berlin Senate officially revoked the honorary citizenship of Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Frick. Further public cancellations of this honor for Hitler followed in Düsseldorf (2000), Aschersleben (2006), Bad Doberan and Biedenkopf (2007), Kleve (2008), Forst (2009), and in the Austrian city of Amstetten (2011)[13][14 ].
At the same time, some emphasize the importance of public distancing, while some communes believe that honorary citizenship can be awarded and revoked only during people’s lifetimes, for example, this is the question raised in the Austrian city of Waidhofen an der Ybbs (2011)[13].
After the Unification of Germany, the new authorities spoke in favor of removing honorary citizenship from the former leaders of the GDR. In 1992, adjustments were made to the list of honorary citizens of Berlin, abolishing these insignia for Erich Honecker, Wilhelm Pieck (posthumously), and for many Soviet military personnel and officials.
Title of honorary citizen: benefits and compensation
Those persons who, in the opinion of the state, are worthy of the title of honorary citizen, are paid some monetary compensation. Thus, in the process of its formation, the following expenses were taken into account by the relevant government bodies:
- The occupied total area of residential premises (directly within the limits of social norms) is fifty percent.
- Utilities (in accordance with consumer standards for utility services, and for those who live in houses that are not equipped with central heating - fuel purchased within certain standards determined for sale to the population, and, of course, transport services for the implementation of high-quality delivery of this fuel) - in the amount of fifty percent.
- The subscription fee for telephone, collective antenna and radio is fifty percent.
- Travel on absolutely all types of public transport (taxi is an exception to this rule) - one hundred percent of the cost (fifty trips are provided monthly).
- Travel on public transport in relation to the suburbs (this must include road transport, water transport and rail) - in the amount of one hundred percent of the cost of 24 trips on an annual basis.
- Travel on intercity public transport directly within the boundaries of the corresponding territorial unit - in the amount of one hundred percent of the cost of eight trips on an annual basis.
- Medicines that are purchased by an honorary citizen according to prescriptions formed in the statutory order - in the amount of one hundred percent.
- Annual vouchers to a sanatorium (rest home, boarding house or dispensary), which, one way or another, is located in the territory corresponding to the rank of citizen - in the amount of the cost of this voucher. In addition, vacations outside the region are possible. In this case, the cost of the voucher should not exceed the same cost if the citizen chose to relax within the region.
How are honorary citizens different?
It is important to note that the category of citizens in question are honored guests of all settlements of the corresponding territorial unit at celebrations in connection with the days of the founding of these settlements. In addition, people distinguished by an honorary title have the right to take part in festive events free of charge. It is important to note that compensation for accommodation during these events is borne by the relevant government authorities based on actual costs.
By the way, an individual who is entitled to receive benefits or compensation payments in connection with a number of reasons established by law by the relevant government bodies of the Russian Federation, the provision of these benefits or the payment of compensation for the citizen’s expenses is carried out in accordance with one of the grounds of his own choice.
In addition to the rights and benefits presented above, honorary citizens can receive a monthly supplement to their pension, which is assigned directly on the basis of federal laws and, as a rule, equals fifteen thousand rubles. It is important to add that the assignment of additional payment is carried out exclusively at the request of an individual who has the right, according to the above-mentioned Law, to this additional payment on a monthly basis. By the way, the formation procedure, the corresponding amounts and recalculations are usually established by the governor.
An individual who is entitled to receive not one type of pension supplement, but several in connection with certain grounds provided for by Russian legislation, is paid only one of the possible types at the choice of the honorary citizen. It is important to add that government agencies are responsible for financing expenses directly related to the implementation of this Law. Thus, they are covered from the state budget.
Benefits for honorary donors in 2021: how to receive a title, payment and social support
The procedure for collecting blood takes a little time - about 10 minutes, its components - up to 30 minutes. The maximum one-time volume of blood taken is 450 ml. After the first request, a person donating blood components is registered and given an individual registration card, where the number and volume of blood donations will then be kept track of. Registered donors are divided into potential - those who came to the donor center for the first time or after 12 months, reserve - those who donate blood components up to 3 times a year, personnel - who donate more than 3 times a year.
Unlike other social payments, the donor subsidy remained unchanged for several years and initially amounted to 10,557 rubles. According to Federal Law No. 125, indexation of this type of payment from the state budget is carried out once a year, in January, by a coefficient of 1.054. From 02/01/2019 to 01/01/2019, the effect of this paragraph was suspended by Federal Law dated 04/06/2015 No. 68-FZ (as amended on 12/19/2019), due to the current difficult economic situation.
Who can be appointed an honorary citizen?
It is important to know that the initiation of the issue itself, as well as the presentation of candidates for the award of the title of honorary citizen, is carried out if they agree upon the petition and initiative of the deputies of the relevant territorial unit. It should also be noted that the number of titles awarded should not exceed two annually. It is very interesting that consideration of the issue of making a final decision on awarding such a high status can take place in the absence of the person nominated for the title. The diploma, as well as the certificate of an honorary citizen of a certain territorial unit, must be signed by the chairman of the Duma.
