The State Duma committee on legislation approved a...

The State Duma committee on legislation approved a bill on the ratification of Protocol 6 of the European Convention on human rights, which provides for capital punishment to be abolished by law in Russia. The head of the committee, Pavel Krasheninnikov, said that even though opinion in the committee was divided, "the view that Russia has to meet the international obligations undertaken upon joining the Council of Europe prevailed". "The experience of other countries demonstrates that the abolition of capital punishment does not lead to a rise in crime."