State Duma concerned about courts with juries

At today's session the State Duma has adopted the decision to sent aparliamentary inquiry to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail on the questionconcerning the failure of the Russian government to fulfill an orderstipulated by the law on executing the Criminal Code of the RussianFederation. According to the State Duma's address, the government wascommissioned to submit a bill on establishing courts with juries in allregions and republics of the Russian Federation to the State Duma by June1, 2002. However, the government failed to submit the bill by that date.In this respect, the State Duma decided to address the Prime Ministerasking him to take measures on executing this order. In accordance with thenew Criminal Procedure Code, courts with juries must start working in allregions and republics of the Russian Federation on January 1, 2003.According to deputies, the absence of the bill, which provides citizenswith the right to apply to court with juries, "may transfer to a giganticproblem of the judicial system and result in its collapse". The inquiry wassupported by 236 deputies with six against and no abstentions..