MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed his support for the idea of banning the media from reporting the ethnicity or religion of suspects and convicts.
Moscow City Duma Speaker Vladimir Platonov, who put forward the proposal, requested Putin’s support for the initiative at the head of state’s meeting with the Council of Legislators.
“I agree with you, a criminal has no nationality: does it really matter to what ethnic group an offender belongs?” Putin said. “I don’t want to interfere, but if I receive it [the law] in its final version, I will of course support it.”
Putin added that justice must be served regardless of the suspect’s ethnicity.