Return To Soviet-Era, Russia To Prosecute 'Thought Crimes'

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Jul 29, 2010, 8:06:00 PM7/29/10

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Return To Soviet-Era, Russia To Prosecute 'Thought Crimes'
The bill, criticised by rights groups, would allow the Federal Security Service (FSB) to issue official warnings to individuals whose actions are deemed to be creating the conditions for crime. Rights groups say the bill would essentially put the special service above the law and harks back to Soviet times when the much-feared FSB predecessor KGB used warnings to persecute dissidents. The bill had already sailed through the lower and upper houses of parliament and was today signed into law by the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev. The opposition says the FSB security service is already extremely powerful and empowering it further would contravene Mr Medvedev's pledge to liberalise Russia. In response to protests from human rights activists, lawmakers earlier removed an amendment allowing the FSB to summon people to their offices to hand out the warnings and also publish their warnings in the media. Earlier this month, Mr Medvedev launched a staunch defence of the law, saying its aim was to improve Russian legislation and had been drawn up on his personal orders.