16:29, 18 November 2015

Federation Council approves law banning to recognize texts of sacred books as extremist

The 381th session of the Russian Federation Council. Photo: http://council.gov.ru/press-center/photo/45756/

The Russian Federation Council has approved the presidential law on immunity of texts of the Bible, the Koran, the Tanakh, and the Kanjur. The document has become a response to the decision of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Court to recognize the quotes from the Koran as an extremist material.

On August 12, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court recognized as an extremist material the book "Prayer (dua) to Allah: its meaning and place in Islam". Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has filed an appeal against the Court's decision, and on November 5, after the consideration of the appeal, the Sakhalin Regional Court cancelled the decision of the court of first instance.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced to the lower house of the Russian parliament a draft law banning to recognize texts of the sacred books as extremist materials. On October 20, the draft law was approved by the State Duma Committee for Security and Anti-Corruption. On October 23, the draft law was adopted in the first reading, and on November 11 in the final reading.

According to Franz Klintsevich, the deputy head of the Federation Council Committee for Defence and Security, the adoption of the document is of particular importance after the recent tragic events, including the terror act on the board the Russian plane in Egypt and a series of the terror acts in Paris.

Franz Klintsevich has also emphasized that the new law lists the canonical texts of the world's religions professed by the majority of Russian citizens.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.