Medvedev signs laws on territorial jurisdiction of terror cases

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has signed a number of laws changing the territorial jurisdiction of terrorists and allowing consideration of "terrorist" cases by juries.

The above legislation comprises the Federal Law "On Territorial Jurisdiction of District (Fleet) Military Courts" and amendments to a number of legal acts - Federal Constitutional Laws "On Judiciary in the Russian Federation" and "On Military Courts", to the Law "On Jurymen of Federal Courts of General Jurisdiction", and to Articles 31 and 35 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This was reported today by the President's press service.

According to the new legislation, upon petition of the public prosecutor or his deputy, the criminal proceeding on terrorist or extremist crimes can be transferred to the regional military court, where the crime was committed. There, such cases may be considered by a jury.

This change of territorial jurisdiction is possible in cases of "real threat to safety of figurants of the proceeding or their relatives." As reported by the ITAR-TASS, this issue is decided by a board of three judges of the Supreme Court with participation of the public prosecutor, defendants and his/her advocate.

As stated by Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the State Duma committee on civil, criminal, arbitration and procedural legislation, the new law "on the one hand, will allow defending witnesses and victims from the pressure of defendants' accomplices and relatives, and on the other hand, to ensure unbiased and objective consideration of such case and due punishment of terrorists."