Russia to Expand Interpretation of High Treason Laws
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ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russian lawmakers have voted to expand the government’s definition of high treason.
Russia’s parliament has proposed a new law that would include support for “those seeking to damage Russia’s security” as an acceptable definition for high treason and espionage, BBC News reports.
The current law includes a less broad definition limiting the treasonous actions to a “foreign state damaging Russia’s external security,” according to BBC.
Critics of the proposed bill, passed 375-2 in the parliament’s lower house, say the new broader definition of high treason would make almost any interaction with international organizations — even multinational aid groups — criminal activity.
The bill is expected to pass quickly in the Russian parliament’s upper house, but will require President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio