Support The Moscow Times!

Senator Proposes 15-Year Prison Term for Officials Who Fail to Thwart Terrorist Attacks

Senator Konstantin Dobrynin

A proposed amendment to the Criminal Code would allow law enforcement officials to be jailed for up to 15 years for negligence in failing to prevent a terrorist attack, a news report said Thursday.

The author of the amendment, Federation Council Senator Konstantin Dobrynin, wants to include "appeasement of terrorism" to the article relating to negligence in the Criminal Code, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported Thursday.

Under the proposal, officials who are found guilty of having "created favorable conditions for terrorists" through professional negligence could be held liable for "a terrorism-related crime through connivance," Rossiiskaya Gazeta said.

Upon conviction, both state officials and employees of law enforcement agencies could be given a lifelong ban from public office, demoted, stripped of their honorary titles and state awards and face a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Some State Duma members preached caution in implementing wider reaching anti-terrorism legislation.

State Duma member Boris Reznik said the amendment would have allowed officials in Volgograd to be prosecuted over two recent bombings in the city.

"Their guilt is indirect, there is no direct intent, they may also suffer emotionally from what has happened in their region," Reznik said.

The twin attacks in Volgograd in December killed at least 34 people and brought the total number of strikes in the city to three in a period of two months.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more