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The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed a law on Tuesday that guarantees lifetime immunity to the former Russian presidents.
The text, published online Tuesday, grants former presidents and their families immunity so they cannot be prosecuted for crimes they have committed.
With this, they will also be exempt from being interrogated by the police or by investigators, as well as from searches or arrests.
This legislation is part of the constitutional amendments that were approved this summer in a nationwide vote that allowed Putin, 68, to remain in the presidency until 2036.
Until now, former presidents were only immune for crimes committed while in office.
Still, this Immunity may be waived if the former president is charged with treason or another serious crime and the charges are confirmed by the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court.
In addition, Putin also signed legislation on Tuesday to grant former presidents a life seat on the Federation Council, a position that also provides immunity from prosecution.
Last month, pending bills led to rumors that the Russian president planned to leave office, something the Kremlin denied, stating that Putin was in good health.
On Tuesday, the lower house of the Duma passed legislation on third reading to make information about employees of the Russian judicial system, law enforcement, and military and regulatory bodies confidential.
That bill now awaits Putin’s signature to become law, a step that is considered a formality.
On Monday, opponent Alexei Navalni claimed from Germany that he telephoned an alleged security agent and tricked him into admitting that the secret services (FSB) tried to kill him in August, poisoning him.
According to Navalni, he obtained the agent’s phone number through leaked files and travel logs.
The opponent published the alleged address and telephone number of the agent, something that, under the new legislation, would be illegal.
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