Russia Adopts Controversial Counter-Terrorism Amendments

The Russian parliament had adopted a set of controversial counter-terrorism amendments which have sparked alarm among rights activists.

The amendments that the Duma voted on Friday include introducing prison sentences for failure to report a grave crime. Another forces telecommunications companies to store logs and data for months, a measure which threatens to eat almost all of the companies' profits.

The bill was rammed through the parliament by the ruling United Russia party and voted on the Duma's final session before the summer recess and the September election. The most Draconian amendments, including the right to strip Russians of their citizenship, were hastily taken out of the bill before the debate. Some lawmakers complained that they never got the final draft before the vote.