The Duma deputies could not be left out of the process, as their approval in three readings is needed. On Tuesday Gazeta.Ru sources in the lower house reported that the draft prepared by the Kremlin and the Duma committee for legislation would be submitted to the house as soon as Vladimir Putin returned from Omsk, where he was attending the Russo-Kazakh border cooperation forum, and signed the document.
The presidential envoy to the lower house Alexander Kotenkov confirmed that the document would be submitted to the Duma by the end of this week. That is why on Tuesday at the State Duma council – a regular gathering of the Duma faction leaders who set the agenda for the forthcoming plenary sessions – agreed that the house would review the act in the middle of May, Gennady Seleznyov, the State Duma speaker, told the press.
The head of the pro-Moscow Chechen administration Akhmad Kadyrov, has also aired his proposals concerning the amnesty. He shared his ideas with journalists at the end of March. In effect, Kadyrov has called for all Chechens convicted of offences punishable with sentences of no longer than 5 years to be released. Kadyrov also emphasized that the act must apply not only to Chechens in Chechnya, but to ethnic Chechens held in prisons throughout Russia.
That idea was outlined in the draft bill prepared by the State Duma deputy for Chechnya Aslambek Aslakhanov (Fatherland-All Russia faction). The deputy was quicker than the Kremlin legal directorate and submitted his variant to the State Duma on Monday of this week. Both drafts – the presidential and that of Aslakhanov – are to be reviewed in the middle of May. As the SPS deputy Boris Nadezhdin told Gazeta.Ru: ''The right one, i.e. the presidential, will be reviewed as the main draft, and that of Aslakhanov’s as an alternative version.''
''My draft targets not only the rebels, but also ordinary Chechens, who the police have been hunting throughout Russia, planting drugs on them,'' the retired police general Aslambek Aslakhanov explained to Gazeta.Ru.
In his draft Aslakhanov calls for an exemption from criminal punishment for Chechen rebels that voluntarily hand over their guns, ammunition, explosives, military hardware, nuclear materials and narcotics. Persons who have committed grave crimes, habitual offenders, foreign nationals, and persons without citizenship would not be covered by the amnesty, Aslakhanov’s draft reads.
Gazeta.Ru: Under your act, who will be entitled to amnesty? How will habitual offenders be differentiated from moderate rebels?
A. Aslakhanov: Firstly, those who have laid down their arms [will be subject to amnesty]. Secondly, persons, charged with crimes punishable with less than 5 years of incarceration. Thirdly, they should be women and men under 50 years of age. The point is that there are only a handful of cases involving people over 50. If they were convicted, that means their cases were thoroughly probed. Surely, there were some aggravating circumstances.
What makes your amnesty draft different from other versions?
I am not familiar with all the drafts. As far I know, there is one more draft from the State Duma legislation committee. This is the pro-Kremlin draft. My proposal is to broaden the amnesty. It is not right to link that problem with the territory of Chechnya.
In Moscow and other large cities Chechens have been detained. They have been tortured, beaten, and had drugs planted on them, and charges fabricated against them. I have been receiving thousands of complaints about such unlawful actions against Chechens. Are they criminals? And if Chechens have been detained throughout Russia why declare an amnesty only in Chechnya? This must be done in other regions too.
Which of the two drafts will be used?
It would be better to create a single one out of the two drafts. If the [legislation] committee agrees to adopt some valuable ideas from my draft, I will not insist on my authorship…let it be the president’s. At a meeting with Vladimir Putin this issue was discussed.
Will the rebels trust the fact that the authorities are ready to forgive them?
No amnesty can stop the war. But if the rebels see a chance to return to a peaceful life, there is a possibility that they will seriously consider this matter.
Does the Kremlin hope that the amnesty may help curb rebel resistance? And do you think it will happen?
No, of course, not. No amnesty has ever helped to solve such problems. There are quite a few of those who want to stop the war. If they have a mechanism for implementing [a peace plan], then violence could be stopped. But amnesties do not solve such problems. They are only able to prove to the people that the state is ready to give them one more chance to begin a peaceful life.
Should the amnesty apply to the Russian military who committed crimes in Chechnya? In particular, to Budanov?
The amnesty will apply to servicemen who have committed unpremeditated crimes. Colonel Budanov has committed a premeditated crime, and he will stay in prison.
And what about [separatist leader] Aslan Maskhadov?
His case requires some examination. In actual fact, Maskhadov has not been declared a criminal [by a court]. Supposing, he decides to stop his [criminal] activities, then one will have to consider if he is entitled to an amnesty in line with the established legal procedure.
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