From the MT:
“Russia
Moves to Grant Ex-Presidents Lifetime Immunity From Prosecution”
Russian
lawmakers submitted legislation Thursday that would grant former presidents
lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution under President Vladimir Putin’s
constitutional reforms, Interfax reported. Under current laws, presidents
cannot be held criminally or administratively liable for crimes committed while
serving their terms. A parliamentary working group assessing Putin’s
constitutional reforms proposed earlier this year to extend presidential
immunity beyond their terms of office. “The bill secures immunity guarantees
for ex-presidents beyond the terms of their presidential powers,” Interfax
quoted Senator Andrei Klishas, the group’s co-chair, as telling reporters. “This
expands the timeframe of immunity guarantees for a president who stops
exercising their powers,” added Klishas, who chairs the upper-house Federation
Council’s Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building. The newly
proposed bill also grants both chambers of the Russian parliament the power to
strip presidents of immunity by a two-thirds majority within three months if
they are accused of high treason or other felonies.
The latest
legislation comes a week after Putin submitted another bill under his
constitutional reforms giving ex-presidents a lifetime seat in the senate, the
Federation Council. The Kremlin said during Thursday’s press briefing that many
other countries provide lifetime guarantees for their former presidents and
that Russia’s moves are not new in international law. Both pieces of
legislation are part of constitutional reforms, which Russians approved in a
nationwide vote this summer, that pave the way for Putin to extend his rule
until 2036 after his current term ends in 2024. They need to pass both in
chambers of parliament, which are held by pro-Putin political parties, a
combined four times before Putin signs them into law.
^ This shouldn’t
surprise anyone (Russian or non-Russian.) Putin needs to safeguard himself is
he ever leaves office. I bet Trump wishes the US had this too. ^
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