Liberal politicians and human rights activists urged...

Liberal politicians and human rights activists urged for the passage of a bill that would allow independent inspections of prisons and visits to inmates, saying such visits would help root out prison abuses.
The bill, drafted by the State Duma committee on public organizations, has been in limbo for months after the Interior and Justice ministries complained that it gave too many rights to the visitors, representatives from civic organizations.
Yabloko party leader Grigory Yavlinsky said "This bill, together with the bill on alternative military service and attempts to implement a ban on the death penalty, demonstrates that our legislation is developing in between these [Soviet and post-Soviet] principles."