Members of the National-Bolshevik Party have chained themselves with handcuffs to the lattices of United Russia’s public office windows on Pereyaslavsky lane. The rally had not been sanctioned and militia had to interfere. As a result 21 people were detai
Photo: Dmitry Lekay
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State Duma Passes the Bill on Mass-Meetings
March 31, The State Duma has passed on first reading the bill “On Rallies, mass-meetings, demonstrations, processions and picketing”, which bans the street actions “in immediate proximity” of public offices and embassies.
The bill, introduced to the lower house by the Federal Government April 18 last year, was approved by 294 deputies, 137 voted against it. One of the people’s elected representatives did not have his own opinion and abstained from voting.
The new document, which has been harshly criticized by oppositional organizations, changes the formal confirmation procedure. Oppositionists particularly stress that clause 5 of article 5 of the bill virtually make informative procedure of public actions confirmation into the authorizing one. The clause says that “the organizer (-s) of a public action have no right to hold it if the notification… has not been approved by executive power body or local authorities”.
The criticism from “disloyal” parties and movements has also been roused by article 7, which lists places where public actions are prohibited. Rallies and pickets are virtually prohibited at the territories “adjacent to hospitals, clinics, infant schools, schools and other educational institutions (during classes)”, near “religious buildings”, territories “directly adjoining the residences of RF President, buildings of federal and local RF subjects’ authorities, local self-government bodies, foreign countries’ and international organizations’ representative offices under international protection.”
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