The Russian Parliament took the first step on Wednesday toward passing a law that would ban demonstrations in most public places, narrowing one of the crucial freedoms won as the Soviet Union came to an end.
The bill passed the first of three readings by a vote of 294 to 137, reflecting the dominance of supporters of President Vladimir Putin.
PHOTO: AP
The draft law prohibits rallies outside government buildings, embassies and international organizations, on major roads, near schools, hospitals, stadiums, concert halls and religious centers, and at pipelines and environmentally hazardous sites.
"This would be the end of political life in the streets," said Sergei Reshulsky, a member of the Communist Party, which has asserted itself over the years in street rallies.
The liberal Yabloko Party, which was shut out of Parliament in an election in November, protested, saying, "The bill is aimed at eliminating the right of citizens for peaceful meetings, demonstrations and pickets" granted by the country's constitution.
Yabloko Party members were among the demonstrators who rallied outside Parliament with signs reading, "No to a police state." Rally organizers had not obtained the necessary permit, and the demonstration was broken up by the police.
Several demonstrators were briefly detained, including the deputy head of Yabloko, Sergei Mitrokhin.
Proponents of the bill said it would help ensure national security and public order, issues that had contributed to Putin's popularity during the March 14 election, in which he won an overwhelming majority.
The leader of the president's parliamentary bloc, Boris Gryzlov, said that there would still be plenty of places to hold demonstrations and that formal permission would no longer be required, only advance notice.
The proposed law, however, contains a clause that would allow officials to block any gatherings if "their aim contradicted the constitution, generally accepted norms of public morality and federal law."
Advocates for democracy and human rights have grown worried in recent months as Putin has tightened control of the news media and restricted serious political opposition.
But a number of recent public opinion polls show that there is a constituency for restrictive measures. Most people appear to favor a strong central government that would limit their freedoms, including the imposition of censorship.
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