With 226 votes necessary, the federal law On Amending Articles 57 and 205 of the Russian Criminal Code, was passed by 431 votes, with three abstainees and no votes against.
Now the law will be submitted to the Federation Council for endorsement.
The introduced amendments toughen punishment for terrorist activities. They increase terms of imprisonment for terrorist activities from 10 to 12 years and for terrorism with aggravating circumstances from 20 years to life imprisonment.
Besides, the amendments envisage use of life imprisonment not only as an alternative to death penalty, but as a separate punishment for especially grave offences threatening human life and public security.
"It is hard to overestimate the topicality of the law," the parliament's deputy speaker Vladimir Pekhtin pointed out on Friday. "The tragic events in Ingushetia, the bold attack of terrorists on the holy for all Russians day have shown once again that we need to be very tough fighting against terrorism. We need to confront organized terrorists with even more organized counter-action".
"No negligence or weakness is acceptable in anti-terrorist fight, this is United Russia's permanent and consistent stand," Pekhtin emphasized.
The authors of the amendments are State Duma deputies Pavel Krasheninnikov, Lyubov Sliska, Vladimir Pekhtin, Vladimir Vasilyev, Vladimir Katrenko and Alexander Zhukov when he was a deputy.
Introduction of life imprisonment for terrorism is "an absolutely right move", said Lyubov Sliska, the State Duma's first deputy speaker.
Those who commit or prepare an act of terrorism should remember that they may spend the rest of their lives in jail, she said.
Yet another "absolutely justified measure" is toughened punishment for drunken driving, Sliska believes.
"The number of drivers who run over people when drunken is growing, not declining. Moreover, most of the victims are children and car passengers," she said.
