Violations of administrative and criminal law as component of political activity

This study was conducted in light of the growing role of criminal law mechanisms in regulating political processes, and the transformation of the category of “political crime” within the international legal order. The study aimed to examine the evolution of the concept of political crime and identify models of its legal reinterpretation. The methodology involved applying historical-legal and comparative-legal analyses to compare the legal regimes of the United States, Turkey and the Russian Federation, as well as using case study methods and critical discourse analysis. The research revealed that the classical doctrine of political crime, which originated in nineteenth-century European law, was intended to protect political opposition from persecution, but was systematically degraded in the second half of the 20th century. After the Second World War, it was found that international law had abandoned the universal consideration of political motive in favour of the principle of individual criminal responsibility for international crimes. The establishment of international criminal justice was shown to lead to a significant narrowing of the scope of political immunities. The results of the analysis indicate that, in the 21st century, political crime has ceased to function as an autonomous legal category and has instead transformed into a multi-level mechanism for regulating the political sphere. In democratic states, it is mainly used to hold public officials accountable for corruption, abuse of power, and excess of authority. In contrast, in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, criminal law is systematically applied to criminalise political activity, shape selective law enforcement and neutralise opposition figures. The analysis also covered the spread of lawfare strategies, in which law is used as an instrument of political struggle and to delegitimise opponents. It was substantiated that international law is reinterpreting sovereignty not as an absolute privilege but as a form of state legal responsibility, expanding the boundaries of international jurisdiction and altering the legal status of senior officials. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results in scholarly, analytical, and educational activities, particularly in the preparation of professional legal opinions, analytical materials, and comparative reviews in international criminal law