MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. The heads of the Legislation Committees of the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of parliament), Pavel Krasheninnikov and Andrey Klishas, have submitted a bill expanding the notion of torture, along with stiffening the penalties for torture to the State Duma on Monday.

"Article 302 of the Russian Criminal Code (forced confession) will now include law enforcement officers as perpetrators. It will make it possible to prosecute Federal Penitentiary Service employees along with investigators and officers conducting inquiries, as provided in the current version of the Criminal Code," Krasheninnikov pointed out, as cited by the press service of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation.

The bill stiffens penalties for officials who use torture to compel people to incriminate themselves or to harass and intimidate them. "Such crimes will now carry a penalty of up to 12 years, which takes them to the category of extremely serious offenses. That said, the statute of limitations for crimes like these will be increased, making it possible to ensure the inevitability of punishment more effectively," Krasheninnikov explained.

Besides, the bill also clarifies the notion of torture in accordance with the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. "In particular, the goal of torture will now include intimidation as a way to gain control over an inmate or make a person do something out of fear of torture," the committee’s head noted.

When speaking about the importance of the bill, Krasheninnikov emphasized that "the cases of severe torture of inmates at the Federal Penitentiary Service’s facilities, which became known recently, sparked fierce public outrage that cannot be ignored by lawmakers." "In no way can any good intentions that law enforcement officers might have, or any socially important goals justify the abuse of inmates, the debasing of their human dignity or their basic human rights," the lawmaker stressed.