An approximate 400 amendments were proposed while the bill was in the house. A respective Duma committee recommended to adopt a half of the impressive total.
The bill revolves round notification replacing authorization. Public action organizers are now merely to notify executives, who previously had the right to allow or ban the events at their own discretion.
Rally and demonstration notifications shall be submitted no earlier than fifteen days, and no later than ten before the event. The deadline for picket notification is three days.
An essential amendment increased public action length to five days running, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day for one organizer.
As MPs were improving the bill, they quashed a ban on highway blocking, and rallies, demonstrations and pickets near federal executive and legislative premises, local self-government offices and foreign legations.
A ban holds good on public action near federal presidential residences, law courts, prisons, hazardous production premises, and strips along the state frontier.
United Russia, majority group, spoke up for the bill during debates as "sufficiently democratic and liberal." In fact, the group alone was voting for it. The opposition finds the bill encroaching on civil rights and freedoms with the many oppressive bans.
As the house was debating an initial, draconian version of the bill, toward the end of last March, United Russia also came up with an enthusiastic approval. President Vladimir Putin sharply came down on the bill. Boris Gryzlov, United Russia leader, promised to make amendments. Not enough has been done, however, if we listen to the opposition.
