Senator Mikhail Margelov: No Need To Impose Martial Law In Chechnya

There will be no need to implement the constitutional law on martial law in Chechnya, because at this point police are responsible for fighting against rebels, Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of the International Affairs Committee at the Federation Council, told RIA Novosti on Friday. The consideration of the Law on Martial Law in the upper chamber of Russian parliament is scheduled for January 16. The senator believes it will pass. Mr. Margelov stressed that if the new law had been in effect earlier, the anti-terrorist operation would have gone more smoothly. In the senator's view, the law simplifies the procedure of imposing martial law, and "this is timely, given the specifics of warfare and military hardware in the 21 century." Mr. Margelov mentioned that the law provides that martial law can be imposed in case foreign states or someone acting on their behalf deploy militant groups on a country's territory. The senator also emphasized personal responsibility of the country's president in case martial law is imposed.