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Medvedev Vetoes Curbs on Protests
By REUTERS
Published: November 6, 2010


MOSCOW (Reuters) —

President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia issued a rare veto on Saturday to block a law proposed by his country’s governing party that would have imposed new restrictions on street protests.

Opposition groups accuse the authorities of using complex regulations to curb dissent.

Critics of the Kremlin are routinely denied permission for rallies, and the police detain anyone attending unauthorized demonstrations.

Several opposition groups welcomed the president’s veto of what they described as repressive new regulations proposed by the governing party, United Russia, that would have blocked any person guilty of an administrative offense from applying to organize a rally.

But Eduard Limonov, the leader of the banned National Bolshevik Party, said

Mr. Medvedev’s veto of a law that had been proposed by his main backers was a hollow gesture that would leave other restrictions untouched.

“It sounds positive, but there have been a lot of repressive laws introduced in recent years and this is the first one to be blocked,” Mr. Limonov said.

“Nothing fundamental has changed. We still live in a police state.”

The Kremlin said Mr. Medvedev had vetoed changes approved by both houses of Parliament that would have restricted the number of people eligible to apply for permission to rally.

“The head of state does not agree with the change that would strengthen sanctions for violating the law on rallies,” the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that the changes require more work.