Amnesty for Greenpeace activists and Pussy Riot
The recently arrested Greenpeace activists and members of the women's punk band, Pussy Riot, are among the more then twenty thousand people who will receive amnesty from Russia, reported news broadcaster RT on Monday.The station based its report on the paper, Izvestia, and news agency Interfax. The news agency cited a statement of the spokesperson for the Russian parliament.
Vladimir_Putin
author: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office
kremlin.ru
The reason for the amnesty is the anniversary of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which was adopted December 12, 1993. The lower house, the State Duma, is expected to assume the law by the end of this year, reported Izvestia. The people the Act applies to, will be released within the next six months.
The authorities have not responded to the report in the news yet. It is no secret the government is working on a comprehensive amnesty in honor of the anniversary of the republic, but it has not yet been officially decided who will qualify.
A few days earlier, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the members of Pussy Riot will not qualify for amnesty. Putin already announced he supports their amnesty.
Pussy Riot disrupted a mass in the main Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow in February 2012, with a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin.
The passports of the 26 Greenpeace activists, including two Dutch, were returned to them, but they can still not leave Russia, because a valid visa is required.
