RUSSIAN DUMA RECOMMENDS MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY.

The lower house of the Russian parliament has called on the upper house to introduce a moratorium on capital punishment and to suspend executions until the issue is resolved legally (the death penalty is specifically sanctioned by the Russian Constitution). Russia stated its intention of imposing such a moratorium when it joined the Council of Europe last February, but many deputies oppose the move. A total of 238 people were sentenced to death in Russia last year. Of those, 40 have been executed. (Itar-Tass, November 19)

Berezovsky Does Not Have Israeli Citizenship.