Russia's proposed anti-terrorist law criticized

Russia's proposed anti-terrorist bill has drawn criticism from various religious leaders and other sectors after Parliament voted to approve it Friday, June 24.

According to The Guardian, the lower house of parliament voted 325-1 in favor of the "Yarovaya law," so called because lawmaker Irina Yarovaya authored the amendments. It came about as a response to the bombing attack in October that targeted a Russian passenger jet over Egypt.

The controversial draft bill stipulates that individuals should first gain state authorization before they can discuss their faith with others, including casual conversations, emails, or even private conversations held in one's home. Churches will also be held accountable for their members' activities and face restrictions on their contact with foreigners, according to Barnabas Fund.

Spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventists' Euro-Asia division, Oleg Goncharov, wrote an open letter of appeal addressed to Putin where he stressed that the bill's impositions are "impossible for believers to comply with."

The Adventist believers also observed a day of prayer and fasting Tuesday over the restrictive legislation.

"Most evangelicals — leaders from all seven denominations — have expressed concerns," president of Mission Eurasia, Sergey Rakhuba, told Christianity Today. "They're calling on the global Christian community to pray that Putin can intervene and God can miraculously work in this process."

Human Rights Watch and other pro-Kremlin leaders also expressed concerns on what American whistleblower Edward Snowden dubbed on Twitter as the "Big Brother Law," especially as the draft anti-terrorist bill also makes it a criminal offense for failing to inform authorities beforehand of any terrorist activities, inciting unrest or expressing approval for terrorist acts on social media, and discussions of protests, among others.

"It's very infamous provision of Soviet law they're basically re-enacting, and it's problematic because there's no legal clarity," Russia programme director for HRW, Tanya Lokshina, told The Guardian.

Stratfor reported Putin may be pressed with pressure coming from different sides. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the president may consider pushing back on the legislation after the upper house just voted to approve it Wednesday, June 29.