#13
Asia Times
June 13, 2002
Russia's anti-extremism bill too much for some
By Sergei Blagov
MOSCOW - The Russian government is pushing through a new bill to combat
extremism amid fears that it could also be used to silence public protest. The
bill passed its first reading in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian
parliament, on June 6 with 271 votes in support and 141 against.
Russian authorities have been expressing concern over extremist threats for
some time now. President Vladimir Putin said in his State of the Nation address
in April that the police lack effective powers to tackle organized gangs.
The definition of extremism covers a wide range, such as illegal activities
aimed at violent takeover of power, terrorism, incitement of ethnic and
religious hatred, and hindering the legitimate activities of authorities. The
bill says advocacy of "legitimate rights and freedoms" does not amount
to extremism if such campaigns or protests are carried out within the law.
The bill gives courts the power to outlaw an organization classified as
extremist. Official agencies can suspend the activities of the organization
pending a court decision. The bill gives the government powers to combat
dissemination of extremist ideas in the media and on the Internet. Media
promoting what the government considers extremism can be ordered to shut down.
If the bill is passed, the government will have new powers to deal with
financing of extremist organizations. Authorities will have power to confiscate
their property. The Russian branches of foreign organizations, including
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and religious groups, could also be closed
down if they were found to be engaged in "extremist" activity.
Russia's civil and criminal codes and its laws on religions and social
organizations would be amended. The new legislation provides for the creation of
a federal commission to combat extremism. The commission would keep a database
of suspected extremist organizations.
Justice Minister Yuri Chaika, who introduced the bill in parliament, says
Russia needs the law to fill in legal loopholes that extremists are taking
advantage of. But the bill gives the government sweeping powers, opponents say.
Among these would be the power to disband any NGO holding an unauthorized
protest, critics say.
The bill does not meet international standards because it is
"significantly different" from laws against extremism in other
countries, says Valentin Gefter, head of the Human Rights Institute in Moscow.
The proposed law, he said, can be used against legitimate dissent.
Opponents of the bill argue that existing legislation is sufficient to combat
extremism. The difficulty lies with loose enforcement of the existing laws, they
say. The vague definition of extremism means that authorities could declare any
opposition group such as strikers or protesting environmentalists to be
extremists, they say.
"I do not believe that the bill constitutes an attempt to combat
extremism," says Communist lawmaker Valentin Romanov. He called the bill an
"ill-intentioned" attempt by the government to impose total control
over society. Independent deputy Sergei Yushenkov says the bill is intended to
combat opposition, not extremism.
Activists say the human-rights situation within Russia is bad enough already
without draconian legislation. Oleg Mironov, who handles complaints to the
Russian government over human-rights abuses, says in his report for 2001 that
his office received more than 30,000 complaints last year.
An example of how widely new powers could be used came as the bill was being
debated last week. The bill defines "extremism" widely enough to cover
even soccer riots such as those that occurred after Russia's recent World Cup
loss. The state-run RTR Television said that such violence was evidence of the
need for the new bill against extremism.
(Inter Press Service)
BACK TO THE TOP  #210 CONTENTS NEXT SECTION
|
