MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. The National Guard that Russia is creating to fight terror and crime under a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin will be prohibited to shoot at crowds if people may be casually hurt, according to a bill submitted by Putin to parliament on Wednesday.
Putin ordered on Tuesday to create a national guard in reorganization of the Interior Ministry troops to combat terrorism, protect public order and guard important state facilities. The bill submitted to the lower house of Russia’s parliament regulates the activity of the country’s National Guard.
"It shall be prohibited to use firearms against women with the visible signs of pregnancy, people with the apparent signs of disability and underage persons, except for the cases when such persons put up armed resistance, make an assault involving a group of attackers or commit another attack threatening the life and health of citizens or a National Guard serviceman, and it shall also be prohibited to use firearms at largely crowded places, if their use may casually hurt people," the bill reads.
At the same time, the bill allows National Guard servicemen to seal off areas to fight mass riots.
"National Guard troops shall have the right to seal off (block) areas … when they hold measures to fight mass riots or other actions impeding the traffic of transport vehicles, the work of communications means and organizations," the bill says.
The bill also allows National Guard servicemen to block cars and pedestrians in extraordinary situations and use citizens’ motor vehicles to come to the scene of an extraordinary event or chase criminals.
"For the purpose of an emergency regime, National Guard servicemen shall be allowed to temporarily prohibit or restrict the traffic of motor vehicles or pedestrians on streets and roads, carry out their inspection for the purposes of protecting the life, health and property of citizens," the bill says.
Russia’s National Guard will also have the powers to check citizens’ documents and detain them but in this case the so-called Miranda rule will be used to inform detained persons about their rights.
Under the bill, National Guard servicemen will be authorized "to check citizens’ identification documents, if there are sufficient grounds to suspect them of committing a crime or an administrative offence."
The National Guard will have the powers to detain and hand over to the police "the persons suspected of committing a crime or an administrative offence" and also other persons "for the purpose of establishing their identity."
Under the bill, the National Guard will be empowered to detain persons escaping from custody or evading criminal or administrative punishment and persons on the wanted list.
Russia’s National Guard will consist of both conscripts and contract personnel, the bill says.
The adoption of the bill on the National Guard won’t require any additional funds from the federal budget, the bill’s financial and economic substantiation says.