Flag protocol

By law, the Komi flag should be flown daily, weather permitting, from the following locations:^[1]

• the State Council of the Komi Republic
• the residence of the ministers of Komi
• courts of Komi, and offices of local executive and administrative bodies
• above buildings in which sessions of local Councils of deputies take place
• buildings used by Komi diplomats

The Komi flag is also officially flown on the sites of special occasions:^[1]

• official ceremonies
• family celebrations
• celebrations held by public authorities of the Republic of Komi, public associations, enterprises, institutions and organizations.

When the flag was simultaneously raised among other flags of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the sequence and their location is determined in accordance with the sequence of enumeration of constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.^[1] While simultaneously raising the flag among the flags of foreign countries, the sequence of their location is determined alphabetically.^[1]

Half-mast

The law also allows the flag to be raised half-mast as a symbol of mourning. In such cases, in the upper part of the mast of the flag, a black ribbon is fastened, the length of which is equal to the length of the flag panel.^[1]

Flag desecration

According to article 13 of the law, the expression of disrespect, as well as desecration of the national flag is punishable by the Law of the Republic of Komi "On Administrative Responsibility in the Republic of Komi".^[1]

As the Komi ASSR

The first flag of the Komi ASSR was described in the first Constitution of the Komi ASSR, which was adopted by the Central Executive Committee of the Komi ASSR on 26 May 1937, at the 11th Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of the Komi ASSR.^[2] The flag was a red flag, in the left corner of which, at the top of the shaft, are placed the golden letters "RSFSR" in Russian and Komi languages, with the inscription "Komi ASSR" under it in Russian and Komi language.^[3] The inscription changed in 1938 after a new writing system for the Komi language was adopted.^[4]

On 23 July 1954, with the amendment of the constitution of the Komi ASSR and the change of the flag of the Russian SFSR, a new flag of the Komi ASSR was adopted.^[5] The flag was the same with the flag of the Russian SFSR, but with the inscription "Коми АССР" under the hammer and sickle.^[6]

As the Komi Republic

The flag of the Komi Republic was introduced by the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Komi SSR on 27 November 1991, and by the law "On the Approval of the State Flag of the Komi SSR and Amendments to the Constitution of the Komi SSR". The national flag of the Komi Republic was finally approved and enacted on June 6, 1994, by the Law "On the State Flag of the Komi Republic".^[7]

The law was amended by the State Council on December 17, 1997 to change the proportions of the flag from 1:2 to 2:3. The change of the proportion was due to the desire to make the flags of Russia and Komi identical in size when hung together. The provision on the flag of Russia prohibits posting next to it flags of entities that exceed its size. The 1:2 proportion of the flag next to the Russian flag looked too narrow.^[8]