Russia's State Duma Passes Law on Temporary Suspension of Ban on Terrorist Organizations in First Reading
On December 10, Russia’s State Duma passed a bill in the first reading that establishes a mechanism for temporarily suspending the ban on an organization included in the terrorist organizations list, reports TASS.
The bill, introduced by a group of deputies and senators in November, amends the Law on Combating Terrorism.
Under the new provisions, the ban on the activities of an organization, including foreign and international ones recognized as terrorist in Russia, can be suspended by a court decision based on a petition from the Prosecutor General of Russia or their deputy. Such suspension is possible "if there is factual evidence that the organization has ceased activities aimed at promoting, justifying, and supporting terrorism" or committing corresponding crimes under Russia's Criminal Code.
A court decision to temporarily suspend the ban on activities must be sent to the FSB within five days of taking effect to update the list of terrorist organizations.
According to Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the LDPR, the new norms are aimed, among other things, at facilitating legal interactions between Russia and the Taliban movement.
The bill also stipulates that if there is evidence of resumed promotion, justification, or support of terrorism, or the commission of related crimes, the temporary suspension of the ban can be revoked.
Amendments are also being made to the Code of Administrative Court Procedure of Russia and the Law on Combating the Legalization (Laundering) of Criminally Obtained Incomes and Financing of Terrorism.
As noted by The Insider, funds belonging to organizations removed from the terrorist list will no longer be subject to mandatory monitoring by banks and special services.
Under current legislation, transactions involving funds or other property must be monitored if at least one party is an organization or individual included in the list of those associated with extremist or terrorist activities. Banks are required to verify the legal origin of such funds if suspicious transactions are detected. The new bill cancels this monitoring if a court decision on the "temporary suspension of the ban on activities" is issued or reinstates it if the decision is revoked.
The Taliban movement was recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia in 2003. So far, only the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have removed the Taliban from their list of banned organizations.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
December 11, 2024