Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has put veto on amendments to the federal law on protests and rallies, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on October 22 adopted changes to the law on protests and rallies which stipulated tighter sanctions against those who violate terms of public meetings set by the government. The changes prohibited those already undergoing proceedings for disorderly behavior from organizing protest rallies.
The president has addressed a letter to the chairmen of the both houses of the Federal Assembly of Russia - Boris Gryzlov and Sergei Mironov in which he said that the amendments involve positions that hamper the right of freedom of assembly which is enshrined in the Russian Constitution.
Public rallies and marches are an efficient tool to put effect on state and local authorities, Medvedev emphasized.
"The right to hold public events is directly related to the rights of citizens to participate in administrating state affairs, freedom of opinion and other constitutional rights restriction of which is acceptable only in order to protect the constitutional order, morality, health, rights and legitimate interests of other persons, national defense and state security," the president said in hisletter.
"The restrictions which are stipulated in the federal law do not fully correspond to this aims," he said.
The Russian president believes that the order of holding meetings and rallies have to be defined, however he stands against tightening punishment for violating the law on meetings and rallies, Kremlin commented on Medvedev's veto.
Work over amendments to the federal law on meeting will go on.
MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti)
