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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Russia lower house advances bill to end jury trials for terrorism suspects

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] The Russian State Duma on Friday gave first reading to a bill that would ban jury trials for terrorism, espionage, and treason, among other crimes. In a vote of 351 to 34 with no abstentions, the lower house of parliament approved the bill that proponents call necessary as a result of lenient jurors. Opponents fear that the new law could be used to punish opposition leaders. The bill must now be presented for two more readings before being sent to the upper house of parliament, and finally to President Dmitry Medvedev. In February, a panel of jurists reported that Russia's anti-terrorism laws were leading to human rights abuses. In 2006, the Russian government passed laws giving Russian police and military broad authority to tap telephone conversations and control electronic communications in the vicinity of counter-terror operations, shoot down hijacked planes threatening public places or strategic facilities, and deal with the aftermath of terrorist attacks.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 05, 2008 (boomark / email).