Interfax: Human Rights’ Council opposed to constitutional amendments, favors broad amnesty

MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax) – The presidential Human Rights’ Council believes that the amnesty expected to be declared on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the constitution should be full-fledged and broad while attempts to change the constitution are impermissible.

“We regard with bewilderment and concern the increasingly frequent attempts to change the constitution, in particular, its preamble and fundamental principles,” the council’s statement on the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution says.

“To build up the powers of the head of state, to return ideological monopoly, to introduce a state religion means to undermine the reputation of not only the fundamental law but power itself,” a statement published on the council’s website on Monday says.

“Today, like 20 years ago, public accord on key issues is important to us. The most important of them is consensus with regard to the constitution which is the main guarantee of our development in the direction of a democratic, federal, social and law-governed state,” the statement says.

“A full-scale broad amnesty timed to the jubilee of the fundamental law would also become an important step in this direction. It would promote the spirit of our constitution to a great degree,” it says.
The anniversary of the constitution will be marked on December 12.

Earlier the council submitted its proposals concerning the amnesty to the Russian leadership. People charged with minor and nonviolent crimes are expected to be freed. Human rights activists believe that the amnesty may apply to between 30,000 and 100,000 people.

Head of the council Mikhail Fedotov told Interfax last Friday that the amnesty would hardly apply to former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.