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Russian parliament reviews bill to restrict motorists' protests

© RIA Novosti . Vladimir FedorenkoThe lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma
The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma - Sputnik International
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The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, is reviewing a bill to restrict protest rallies by motorists after a demonstration caused traffic chaos in Moscow and St. Petersburg, media reports said on Friday.

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, is reviewing a bill to restrict protest rallies by motorists after a demonstration caused traffic chaos in Moscow and St. Petersburg, media reports said on Friday.

The motorists, who gathered on April 24, were protesting against official cars using flashing lights to give them preferential passage. A column of cars drove through the streets with plastic buckets attached to their roofs. The protest was repeated on April 28 by the Russian Motorists Federation.

The bill, which stipulates that participants of a protest may only be notified of the whereabouts of a rally after it has been agreed with the authorities, was drafted by deputies of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, A Just Russia party and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

One of the initiators of the bill, United Russia party member Sergei Markov, said that demonstrations by motorists should be regulated as socio-political protests. He said he considers existing Russian legislation on protests and rallies to be "fairly liberal."

A Just Russia party member Mikhail Yemelyanov said he believes restricting the rights of opposition parties is a "small loss" since protests are "a hindrance" and achieve "nothing positive." He said he was not worried that the bill would make it more difficult for his party to organize protests.

Vedomosti cited a source close to the presidential administration as saying that the bill has good chances of being adopted.

Opponents of the bill believe it is designed not to let citizens react quickly to events and will allow officials to prohibit all car rallies and other protests.

"There are no limits to the insanity and horror shown towards citizens," Solidarnost (Solidarity) Movement member Boris Nemtsov told Kommersant daily.

Yabloko party leader Sergei Mitrokhin said the bill was "another attempt at restricting the constitutional rights of citizens."

Russian business daily Vedomosti said the Russian government already acted in January on calls for more rigorous punishments for protesters who violate traffic safety rules. The parliament approved on first reading a bill that would impose 100,000 rubles ($3,421) or two year prison sentences to protesters found to be "blocking highways".

MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) 

 

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