Along with that, the document intends to limit considerably the places for carrying out such public actions. In particular, it prohibits the holding of pickets and meetings immediately in front of the President's residence, the buildings of federal authorities and regional administrations, and also in front of the representative offices of foreign states and international organizations. Apart from that, the document prohibits the participants of manifestations to block railways and other transport arteries to demonstrate their protest or to organize meetings near religious buildings and structures.
Deputy justice minister of Russia Yevgeny Sidorenko told deputies that the new bill was necessary to create a single legal base that would regulate the procedure of organizing and holding public actions on the entire territory of the Russian Federation.
The government's initiative was supported by 294 deputies or 68% of those present at the State Duma session. However, these deputies represented only the pro-presidential United Russia party.
At the same time, the opposition factions - the KPRF, LDPR and Rodina - seriously criticized the document. In particular, the deputies were bewildered over the definition of the phrase "immediately in front of the building." In the opinion of parliamentarians, the definition fails to define exactly where precisely people can gather and where they cannot, and gives room for bureaucratic arbitrariness.
The parliamentarians from the opposition factions also spoke against the ban on public protest actions in traditional places - in front of the building of the government, the State Duma, the buildings of ministries, departments and foreign embassies.
