THE MOST HUMANE COURT IN THE WORLD
Izvestia, March 13, 2003, p. 3 EV
Russia’s system of criminal penalties is in for revolutionary changes. Last Tuesday Vladimir Putin submitted to the Duma a package of amendments to the RF Criminal Code which concern nearly all articles of the Code. The president stated that the amendments “are meant to soften penalties for petty offences”.
According to deputy head of the presidential administration Dmitry Kozak, the amendments to the Criminal Code “substantially mitigate and in some cases even exclude punishment for petty offences, primarily economic ones”. It has been suggested that in a number of cases imprisonment be replaced with fines, the official added. Moreover, “the court will be given more authority to mitigate punishment for juvenile delinquents”.
READERS AND WRITERS
Izvestia, March 13, 2003, p. 3 EV
Around 55 million copies of newspapers are sold daily in the United States, with its adult population of nearly 220 million people. In Russia, where the adult population is around 115 million, daily newspaper sales are 21.5 million. In America, the average readership is 2.2 people per copy of a newspaper; in Russia it is 2.8. In the United States, 55.5% citizens are regular newspaper readers; in Russia the figure is 57%. For the same amount of Russian citizens newspapers are one of the main sources of information (in the USA – 60%). Nonetheless, there are some differences between Russian and overseas newspaper readers. It is serious newspapers, including national ones, that are most popular in the United States, while the majority of Russian citizens prefer local newspapers. Americans like to tell jokes and funny stories about newspapers, Russians are more likely to feel either respect or disdain for newspapers.
DUMA REFUSES TO RESTRAIN GOVERNORS
Izvestia, March 13, 2003, p. 3 EV
The Russian Duma has refused to restrict the maximum number of successive terms of office for governors of Russia’s regions to two. On Wednesday, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament turned down a motion from the Union of Right Forces (URF) faction to amend the law “On general principles of organization of legislative (representative) and executive bodies in the subjects of the Russian Federation” (168 Duma members voted for the motion, the required minimum of votes being 226; 42 voted against, 7 abstained). The amendments presented by URF faction deputy leader Boris Nadezhdin were supposed to lay a ban on re-election of governor and presidents of autonomous republics for more than two terms, except for the governors of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
CONTRACT RECRUITS WANT TO GO TO CHECHNYA
Izvestia, March 13, 2003, p. 3 EV
Over 1,000 people from different regions of the Russian Federation has concluded contracts with law-enforcement agencies of Chechnya to serve there, a source in Chechen defense agencies reported on Wednesday to Interfax-South Agency. According to the same source, some 10,000 Chechen citizens currently serve in the law-enforcement agencies of Chechnya, about 3,000 people work in profit-making security guard agencies. “One of the most important tasks for all Chechen security agencies at present is to ensure security in the preparations for the referendum slated for March 23,” the source said.
FOREIGN MINISTER IGOR IVANOV VISITS KABUL AND DUSHANBE
Izvestia, March 13, 2003, p. 4
On March 12, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov arrived in Kabul, where he met with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai. The Russian minister informed him about “the readiness of Moscow to contribute to establishment of the armed forces in Afghanistan and facilitate participation of Russian companies in restoration of the Afghan economy”. Igor Ivanov unveiled a memorial plaque in commemoration of the beginning of restoration of the Russian Embassy’s offices in Kabul. In the afternoon, Igor Ivanov left for Dushanbe where he had a meeting with senior officials of Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS reports.
