MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) has approved a law on Tuesday, which increases criminal liability for militant recruiters up to a life imprisonment.
The law also increases liability for those financing terrorism, recruiting people to terror groups and involving them in activities mentioned in the Russian Criminal Code’s articles concerning terrorism. From now on, those committing this kind of crimes will be sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to 20 years and fines ranging from 300,000 to 700,000 rubles ($5,200 to $12,100) or even to a life imprisonment. According to Chairman of the Federation Council Committee for Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrei Klishas, "one of the goals is to from a negative social attitude to all the activities aimed at plotting terrorist attacks, which is no less dangerous that terrorist attacks themselves."
The senator also said that those changes were necessary because of "the great dangers posed by attempts to publicly justify terrorist activities, as well as by attempts to distort the nature of criminal actions and the actual goals of terrorism."
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee for Defense and Security Frants Klintsevich, in turn, told TASS that "the law fills legal gaps related to the systemic fight against terrorism, pointing to the key role of militant recruiters."
The law also introduces a new definition to the Russian Criminal Code, "the propaganda of terrorism." Those involved in it may face fines ranging from 300,000 to one mln rubles ($5,200 to $17,300) or prison terms ranging from five to seven years.