Putin enacts law requiring approval for Russian lawmakers' foreign travel due to security concerns
On Saturday, July 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a new federal bill requiring lawmakers from the State Duma and members of the Federation Council to obtain approval from the parliamentary leadership for any travel abroad.
Previously, Russian lawmakers only needed to notify authorities of their travel plans, explains Interfax. The new legislation shifts this from a notification system to one requiring approval. The process and timelines for obtaining such approvals are now to be determined by the councils of the respective parliamentary chambers. Violation of these procedures could result in lawmakers being prematurely stripped of their mandates, the report notes.
Exceptions to this rule are made for official business trips, according to information on the lower house of the Russian Parliament’s website.
The law mandating that members of the State Duma and the Federation Council seek approval for foreign travel was enacted amidst Russia's ongoing military invasion of Ukraine.
One of the law’s co-authors, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security, Vasily Piskaryov, states that the provisions are "justified and dictated by security concerns for the state and the travelers themselves." He cited, in particular, judgments by Ukrainian courts against State Duma deputies, convicted in absentia of violating Ukraine's territorial integrity and sentenced to long prison terms.
Piskaryov also highlighted that another rationale for the law is to ensure state security, as all State Duma deputies and Federation Council members, by virtue of their positions, have access to state secrets.