Russian Prez signs into law strict anti-terror legislation

Moscow : President Vladimir Putin has signed into law, a controversial anti-terror legislation. The new law that provides for rigorous punishment for engagement in terror activity and for inciting terror also grants special powers to the Russian security agencies. Mobile companies and internet service providers have however, expressed their disapproval of the law.

Taking into account the growing threat of terrorism, Russia required a stringent law to counter it and so a bill had been moved in the Russian Parliament in April this year. President Putin has signed into law, the bill in question. This law provides for 10 years imprisonment for involvement in international terrorism, 15 years of imprisonment for financing terrorists and up to 10 years of imprisonment for recruitment in terrorist organizations.

Also, this law redefines the age limit of minority, pushing it to 14 years in place of 16 thus authorizing punishment to 14 year old youth. Inciting and justifying terrorism will also be punished with stiff penalties ranging between 300,000 Rubles to 10,00,000 Rubles ($4600 to $15,400). Besides, inciting terror making use of media like the internet, will be punished with 5 to 7 years in jail.

Mobile companies and internet service providers have been given important instructions. Mobile phone companies will have to store recordings of customers’ calls, messages, photographs and videos for six months. Internet service providers will have to save the trafficking data of their customers for 3 years. This exactly has been perceived as the most controversial aspect of the new law.

Storing data on these lines calls for an expenditure of about 200 billion Rubles ($3.1 billion) and “This is four times our annual profit” admits Sergei Soldatenkov, the CEO of Megafon Mobile, adding that the observation of this law would demand a hike in service charges.

The Russian President has instructed authorities to ensure that the implementation of this law does not in any way, make the industrial sector suffer financial loss.

The law has already begun to draw flak in Russia and Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russia has dared to pronounce as ‘black day’ for Russia, the day that the legislation was passed. Snowden further added that although Russia had granted him asylum, he was making this statement undeterred by possible consequences.