| The Duma decided to investigate the Beslan tragedy and discuss the introduction of the death penalty for terrorists Yesterday the State Duma held the second meeting of the working group to develop amendments to anti-terrorism legislation. Unlike the first one, it turned out to be sensational. Opening the meeting, Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov announced the creation of a parliamentary commission to investigate the terrorist attack in Beslan, which would include representatives of the Duma and the Federation Council. He also confirmed that at the first plenary meeting after the holidays, on September 22, the possibility of introducing the death penalty for terrorism will be discussed.
It is unlikely that the Duma majority voluntarily decided to listen to the opinion of the minority - let us recall that the idea of creating a commission was recently proposed by independent deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov. On September 4, at a meeting with foreign journalists and political scientists, Russian President Vladimir Putin called such an investigation a “political show.” Apparently, in two weeks the Kremlin’s position has changed. Already for the next meeting of the Duma Council, which will take place on September 21, the head of the security committee, Vladimir Vasiliev, has been asked to prepare a draft resolution on the creation of an investigation commission.
“I am very glad that Gryzlov supported my idea,” Vladimir Ryzhkov told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. — I see the main task of the parliamentary commission not only to conduct an honest investigation and identify those responsible, but also to deeply analyze the gaps in our security system and prepare a report on comprehensive measures to strengthen people’s security. For Americans after September 11, this work took three years. And now they are adopting a second wave of laws, more thoughtful and systematic than those that were adopted in the first days after the terrorist attack.”
Another news of the day was the decision of the working group to include in the plan for considering legislative initiatives the issue of introducing the death penalty for terrorists. More recently, the chairman of the committee on civil, criminal, arbitration and procedural legislation, Pavel Krasheninnikov, argued that members of the working group decided to abandon this idea. The motive was simple: suicide bombers are ready to die without a court verdict. Execution is not a punishment for them.
However, now the issue of the death penalty has again surfaced in Duma life. “The current Criminal Code includes the death penalty. This type of punishment can also be extended to articles aimed at combating terrorism. This topic is also being discussed,” Boris Gryzlov told reporters after the meeting. “My opinion: the moratorium cannot be abandoned, but society forces us to discuss this issue again and again.”
In addition, the agenda of the next plenary meeting of the Duma includes as many as 36 issues related to strengthening security measures and countering terrorism. 11 of these issues have already been formalized in the form of bills and are in the State Duma. In particular, the text of the bill “On Countering Terrorism”, prepared by the Russian FSB, has already been distributed to the relevant committees of the chamber. In addition, bills on the use of armed forces in a large-scale counter-terrorism operation and on the participation of citizens in maintaining public order will also be considered. The Duma will consider laws on combating terrorism at the next plenary session on September 22.
Amendments to anti-terrorism legislation provide for very tough measures. Deputies will consider the issue of restrictions on entry and registration at the place of residence of citizens in regions with a difficult demographic situation. A procedure for the so-called “pre-registration” will be proposed, that is, “immediate notification by persons responsible for residential premises and local authorized internal affairs bodies about newly arrived persons.” Another tough question is “about the introduction of administrative liability in the form of expulsion by court decision to the place of residence of citizens of the Russian Federation who violate the requirements of the passport regime.” A proposal to restore criminal penalties in the form of confiscation of property for persons found guilty of terrorist activities will be considered.
A number of measures concern flight safety. It is proposed to give law enforcement officers the right to remove suspicious persons from flights, even if their actions involve neither an administrative offense nor a criminal offense. The issue of personal search is highlighted in a special paragraph: “The responsibility of an aviation security officer in the case when the actions of a passenger and/or data about the passenger give reason to believe that the life and health of other passengers, crew members or other citizens are in danger... to be carried out with the involvement of specialists personal in-depth search of the passenger (including colonoscopy) in a specially equipped room.” (We are talking about a procedure performed by a proctologist.)
“There will be costs. Someone will miss the plane. But it is impossible to get rid of a bad tooth without opening your mouth. There are no such methods,” Vladimir Vasilyev, chairman of the State Duma Security Committee, told reporters and nodded towards deputy Artur Chilingarov, who was having his tooth treated yesterday.
The installation of metal detectors at metro stations has already been mentioned as one of the measures to implement new anti-terrorist initiatives, which has caused a not very positive reaction from the public. “Metal detectors should be installed everywhere,” Gennady Gudkov, a member of the State Duma Security Committee, is convinced. — There is nothing complicated about installing metal detectors in the subway. What is better - to put a frame or to be exposed to the danger of explosions? Answering the question whether the metal detector would complicate the already difficult situation in the metro during rush hours, Mr. Gudkov promised that the devices would not only react to metal, but also have increased sensitivity to explosives.
“Some measures, such as the expulsion of persons suspected of terrorism, tightening control at airports and crowded places, only seem scary,” assured Vladimir Ryzhkov. - I consider them justified if it is not accompanied by massive violations of human rights. It's not about the law, but about its implementation. I would not intimidate people with the draconian measures that the Duma will take. Much worse is what Putin proposed to cancel the elections. This is a really hard blow to democracy and human rights.” Ksenia VERETENNIKOVA |
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