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Upper house endorses law on tougher prosecution for extremism

Term in jail for participation in an extremist organization fro two to four years

MOSCOW, January 29. /ITAR-TASS/. The upper house of Russian parliament, Federation Council, has endorsed amendments in Russia’s Penal Code introducing tougher criminal responsibility for extremism on Wednesday.

The law will introduce tougher criminal responsibility for public appeals to extremist activity, instigation of hatred or strife, denigration of human dignity for sex, racial, ethnic, language, religious or social identity and for forming an extremist group.

The law introduces a fine from 200,000 rubles ($5,800) to 500,000 rubles ($14,400) for forming an extremist group, increases terms of correctional works from four to five years and terms in prison from four to six years. The maximum penalty for creating an extremist organization will grow from 300,000 rubles ($8,600) to 500,000 rubles ($14,400) and terms of imprisonment from three years to six years. The term in jail will double from two to four years for participation in an extremist organization.

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Regulating the military police

Federation Council has also approved a law introducing amendments in legislation over activity of military police in Russian Armed Forces on Wednesday. The document outlines basic organizational structure of military police and its activity.

This federal law is topical over many reasons, but the main one is to create legal instruments for activity of military police at the level of federal laws, because today military police are guided only by legal acts of the country’s Defense Ministry.

The defense law holds that military police should protect life, health, rights and freedoms of servicemen, civil personnel, people passing military assemblies in Russian Armed Forces, should combat crime, ensure law and order, military discipline, security and traffic in the army and should protect legal relations in the defense sphere within the effect of the law. The country’s defense minister is in command of military police. Military police make part of country’s armed forces.

The defense minister determines organizational structure, staff and numerical strength of military police.

Military police are also vested with powers as a questioning body in the army and navy, and they ensure security of injured parties, witnesses and litigating parties of criminal proceedings among servicemen.

The law has introduced amendments in 13 legal acts.

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