MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The State Duma lower house of parliament has passed a law establishing insurance compensation for each relative of active-duty servicemen who have committed suicide.
"The law to this effect was passed by lawmakers unanimously late on Friday," Major General Nikolai Bezborodov, deputy chairman of the Duma defense committee, told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Relatives of active-duty servicemen were not entitled to insurance compensation in case of suicide before," he stressed.
Only relatives of generals, officers, warrant officers and professional privates and sergeants were entitled to insurance compensation in case of suicide. The compensation amounts to 25 percent of the deceased's monthly salary per each family member.
The new bill passed by the State Duma entitles each family member of an active-duty serviceman who has committed suicide to a one-time insurance payment amounting to 25 minimal monthly salaries of the professional serviceman in the position equal to that of the deceased. The law classifies the wife, children and relatives of the deceased as his relatives.
According to experts, about 300 percent of servicemen commit suicide annually, and more than half of them are active-duty servicemen.
The State Duma unanimously passed in the second and third readings the amendments to the federal law "Concerning Obligatory State Insurance of Life and Health of Servicemen, Citizens in Training Sessions, Privates and Commanding Officers of Russian Interior Bodies, State Fire-Fighting Service, Penitentiary Bodies and Federal Tax Police Bodies."
"The law passed by the Duma will not be considered by the Federation Council (upper house of parliament - Interfax-AVN) and will take effect after it is signed by the president. In this case, we restore social justice for the families of servicemen who have been in service for less than two years and committed suicide," Bezborodov stressed.