State Duma adopts Chechen amnesty resolution

The State Duma, or the lower house of the Russian parliament, has adopted a resolution announcing an amnesty in Chechnya on the grounds of the Chechen Constitution.

The amnesty is applied to members of illegal armed formations as well as to participants in counter-terrorist operations and enters into force on the day, when the resolution is published. In accordance with the law governing federal laws, the resolution must be published within seven days after it was adopted, reported Pavel Krasheninnikov, the head of the State Duma Legislation Committee.

According to the Russian Constitution, the amnesty is within the competence of the State Duma. The Russian president, who has the right of legislative initiative, introduced a draft of the resolution to the State Duma on May 15.