23:30, 28 April 2011

MPs of KBR recall bill on snitching on close relatives

The Parliament of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has recalled the legislative initiative on amending the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which assumed criminal liability of criminals' spouses or close relatives for sheltering and non-reporting about grave crimes.

Let us remind you that the bill of the KBR Parliament was already sent to the State Duma committee on the civil, criminal, arbitral and procedural legislation; and its text and explanatory note to it were published on the website of the Russian Lower Chamber.

However, at today's session of the Parliament MPs decided to recall the bill, the "Interfax" reports.

Earlier, the MPs had suggested excluding from Article 316 of the Criminal Code ("concealment of crimes") the provision that a citizen shall be exempted from criminal liability for non-reporting on close relatives. The provision is based on Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which guarantees the right to refuse to testify against oneself and against one's close relatives.