Russian Senators Approve Tough Anti-Terrorist Bill

The upper house of Russian parliament has unanimously passed a bill "On Countering Terrorism". As vice-speaker Alexander Torshin said, the document "has taken maximum account of the lessons of Beslan".

As has been earlier reported, the new law envisions, among other things, the use of armed forces to shoot down planes seized by terrorists. According to A. Torshin, the law is tough on terrorists, but it is justified. On the other hand, it puts minimum restrictions of citizens' freedoms and rights, in comparison with similar legislation in other countries, in particular the US and Israel.

The senator also said that over the past 10 years more than 40 large-scale acts of terror have been committed in Russia. However, according to his data, the incidence of terrorist attacks has dropped in recent years thanks to successful operations by law enforcement authorities.