| The bill “On Countering Terrorism” prohibited the head of state from participating in this process On Friday, the State Duma in the first reading adopted one of the main documents developed after the tragedy in Beslan and dedicated to anti-terrorism activities - the bill “On Countering Terrorism”. The text of the document was born in the depths of the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Justice, then was processed by parliamentarians and was submitted to the Duma by the Speaker of the House Boris Gryzlov together with a group of deputies and senators.
The authors of the bill “On Combating Terrorism” decided that the law “On Combating Terrorism” adopted in 1998 does not sufficiently meet the spirit of the times. Therefore, we expanded, specified and tightened some of the norms of this document, and also invented a fair number of innovations.
Among the measures of general counteraction to terrorism, the authors name “the creation of a mechanism for paying remuneration for the provision of information that helps prevent a terrorist act, search for the perpetrators, or solve other problems in the fight against terrorism.” The participation of armed forces in the localization of large-scale and especially dangerous terrorist attacks is specified in a special line.
One of the main innovations of the bill is the introduction of three special legal regimes: a terrorist threat regime, a counter-terrorist operation regime and a state of emergency regime.
According to the document, a terrorist threat regime is introduced on the initiative of the Prime Minister of Russia or the head of the highest executive body of a constituent entity of the federation upon receipt of information about the possible preparation or threat of a terrorist action. The regime can be introduced at individual sites, areas, settlements, or the territory of one or more federal subjects for a period of no more than 60 days.
The mechanism for introducing the counter-terrorist operation regime and its side effects are spelled out in the bill in the most detailed way. The regime is introduced by the head of the operation in the area where it is being carried out. The bill prohibits interference in the activities of the head of the counter-terrorism operation by any officials, including the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. It is the head of the operation who determines the boundaries of its implementation. “When carrying out this kind of operation, there must be one leader who would have full power, responsibility and the right of sole operational decision-making. No one should put pressure on him,” Vladimir Vasilyev, one of the bill’s developers, chairman of the State Duma Security Committee, told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. -- During each special operation to free hostages, situations can and do arise when the only correct decision must be made within a few minutes. An attempt to evade the responsibility of the head of an operation through “saving” consultations with higher authorities sometimes leads to the loss of the only chance for success.”
The counter-terrorist operation regime involves significant restrictions on the rights and freedoms of residents of the “dangerous” area. According to the text of the bill, law enforcement officers will check citizens' documents and deliver them to the police if they do not exist. It is possible to change the operating modes of communication systems up to the interruption of communication services, temporary forced withdrawal of personal transceiver radio stations, and the introduction of control over telephone conversations. Citizens will be prohibited from being on the streets at specified times without special passes, and those conducting the operation will be able to freely enter residential buildings.
It is proposed to prohibit or restrict rallies, demonstrations and other public events, the sale of weapons, ammunition, explosives, establish a special regime for the sale of medicines containing narcotic drugs, alcoholic beverages and alcohol-containing products, as well as “establish a special procedure for the activities of media workers.” However, the text of the law does not explain what this special order will be.
The bill was approved by 385 votes. 47 deputies, namely representatives of the Communist Party faction, voted against. The representative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Alexei Kondaurov, explained that the communists are voting against the bill because, in their opinion, the country already has a comprehensive legislative framework aimed at combating terrorism. “The roots of terrorism are not in the absence of a legislative framework, but in the depressing economic situation in the country,” says Comrade Kondaurov.
Deputy Speaker of the State Duma from the Rodina faction, Sergei Baburin, also expressed criticism of the bill, noting that conceptually the Rodina people still support it. Mr. Baburin expressed concern that “certain provisions of the bill could be used for malicious purposes to suppress dissent and social protest.” In addition, Sergei Baburin drew attention to the restrictions on the work of journalists imposed by the bill. According to him, “the work of journalists reporting about a terrorist act can be subsumed under the concept of terrorist activity.”
According to Gennady Gudkov, a member of the Security Committee and a member of the United Russia faction, one of the main shortcomings of the bill is its absolute disregard for the legislative branch. “According to the bill, the introduction of regimes and the restriction of rights is based on the actions of the executive branch. In our country, the institution of parliamentary control is already poorly developed. The question arises: will some governor be tempted to use the counterterrorism operation regime to suppress criticism of himself? - Mr. Gudkov told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. “I also don’t understand why the number of departments conducting anti-terrorist activities does not include the service that deals with the fight against drugs. How can this be, because we know very well that the terrorist underground is most often associated with the drug trade, which brings in super-profits.”
Moreover, even the presidential representative in the Duma, Alexander Kosopkin, expressed the opinion that the bill was not very well developed. So, significant changes may be made to the document by the second reading. Ksenia VERETENNIKOVA |
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