Protests in most Russian public places, including outside official buildings, will become illegal under a bill given preliminary approval by the Kremlin-controlled parliament on Wednesday.
The State Duma lower house of parliament, where President Vladimir Putin's allies hold a two-thirds majority, approved the first reading of a bill which critics call the "final elimination of democratic norms" in Russia.
Ecology group Ecodefence, which demonstrated outside the Duma until its protest was dissolved by police, urged deputies to reject the bill and said it would refuse to obey it.
Under the draft, which was passed with 294 votes in favour and 137 against and needs to pass two more readings, rallies and pickets will not be allowed near official buildings, embassies and offices of international organisations.
The draft forbids public protests near major roads, pipelines and environmentally hazardous industrial sites. The black list also includes schools, kindergartens, hospitals, stadiums, concert halls and religious centres.
The government, which presented the draft, has justified the move saying that public events near such sites could threaten their security. But critics say the proposed law was a major blow to democracy.
"This would be the end of political life in the streets," a senior member of Communist faction in the Duma, Sergei Reshulsky, said.
Ecodefence said in a statement, "We address our decisive protest to State Duma deputies, who preferred a final elimination of democratic norms in the Russian Federation to serving their voters.
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