Putin To Slap $32,000 Fine On Russian Protestors

By: EW News Desk Team   Date: 24 May 2012

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24 May 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled his support for a controversial new anti-protest bill, which will increase fines for any unsanctioned protestor from the current maximum of 5,000 rubles ($160) to 1,000,000 rubles ($32,250).

According to an Associated Press report, Putin’s United Russia party proposed the new bill after a series of rallies held against the President – including a protest just a day before Putin’s May 7 inauguration, which saw violent scenes between protestors and the police.

Though all three of the other political parties in the Kremlin’s elected lower house had voted against the bill, the United Russia party’s majority vote ensured that the bill received preliminary approval on Tuesday. Subsequently, the anti-protest bill must now pass through two additional votes before being passed into law.

Putin’s United Russia party is believed to be targeting for the law to be passed ahead of a June 12 holiday – when opposition politicians have called for the next large protest.

The Kremlin's human rights adviser though urged Putin to veto the bill, or risk facing further credibility issues with his reign.

"If this law is approved as it now stands by both houses of parliament then the council will ask the president to veto the bill," told Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the presidential Civil Society and Human Rights Council, to Reuters following a meeting with the President.

Putin however later scolded Fedotov for publicly criticizing the bill and described the bill as necessary for “strengthening democracy.”

"We must guard people against some kinds of extreme, radical displays. Society, the state has a right to defend itself," Putin said.

Related: Gorbachev: Putin has “Castrated” Democracy in Russia

Related: A New Russian Empire: What Exactly Is Putin Planning?

Opposition leaders though have, rather unsurprisingly, denounced the bill to be a crack down on civil rights and freedom.

"This law is part of an effort to tighten the screws, it is very dangerous. It violates citizens' constitutional right to freedom of assembly,” said environmental activist -turned-protest leader Yevgeniya Chirikova to Ekho Moskvy radio.


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