The new law becomes effective January 1, 2007.
The regulations, approved by the lower house, the State Duma, November 15, and by the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, November 24 call for the detention of servicemen for disciplinary violations and temporary confinement in guardhouses for up to 30 days, and in certain cases up to 45 days.
Guardhouses in the armed forces were banned in the summer of 2002, as decisions to confine servicemen were usually made by commanding officers, in breach of the Constitution.
Under the new law, decisions to detain servicemen must be made by a military garrison court judge. A serviceman has the right to a lawyer and to appeal the court's decision.
The law also states that only junior male servicemen can be confined in guardhouses, while officers and female servicemen cannot.
The decision to reinstate guardhouses was met with criticism from some of Russia's human rights activists, who said they feared the new law will help cover up hazing attacks in the military, and might result in arbitrariness among officers.
The Russian military has been plagued by a series of hazing incidents in recent years that have led to the death or injury of low-ranking soldiers. The most notorious case involved a New Year assault on Private Andrei Sychyov by older servicemen, which led to the amputation of his legs and genitals and provoked an outcry throughout Russia.
