The bill contains an article which allows authorities to ban any protest rally which have already received permission if there is information about “unlawful actions” planned at the event.
Photo: Pavel Smertin
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Controversial Public Rally Bill Softened
The Russian parliament is set to adopt controversial amendments to the law on rallying which may allow authorities to ban almost any mass meeting. Duma deputy speaker Oleg Morozov said Tuesday the bill would be amended and may soon be enacted. A source in the Russian president’s administration told Kommersant that the articled that would be deleted do not change the nature of the draft.
The draft was submitted to the Russian parliament’s lower chamber on January 17 only to be withdrawn two days later after leaders of the Kremlin-loyal United Russian party had pushed for softening the law at a meeting with Vladislav Surkov, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration. The drafters claim, though, that they decided to withdraw the bill to finish it off.
The drafter sent the paper to the parliament Monday night after throwing away an article which allows authorities to ban public events a fortnight before and a fortnight after any federal or regional election. However, the bill still contains an article which makes it possible to ban mass events which have already received permission if there is information about “unlawful actions” planned at the event. Another controversial amendment on the list bars people and organizations sentenced or put on probation for extremism from staging street protests.
Vladimir Semago, one of the bill’s drafters, told Kommersant on Tuesday that the bill had been submitted to the Duma to launch “public discussion.” “I’m convinced that personal security and some people’s political ambitions sometimes come in conflict,” he said. “Our draft is a counteraction against unrest. This is not an attempt of one party to get an edge over another party.”
Sources of Kommersant report that the drafters received advice to soften the controversial bill right from the presidential administration. A Kommersant source in the Kremlin argues, though, that the deleted point does not change the whole concept of the bill. He added, however, that the bill could be further softened in its second reading at the parliament.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Jan. 24, 2007
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