MOSCOW, December 28 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill extending the powers of children’s rights commissioners in Russia into law. The document is published on the official website of legal information.

Children’s ombudsmen would be appointed by the President of Russia for 5 years.

The law grants children’s rights commissioners a power to challenge officials’ actions or inactions in courts to protect minors as useful and timely.

The ombudsman would be able to file lawsuits with various courts asking them to determine legality of certain decisions, actions or inactions of state and municipal bodies, other organizations with state powers, officials, state and municipal employees, in the name of protecting rights of children.

According to the initiative, the children’s rights commissioners would also be able to visit detention and penitentiary centers that hold underage persons, pregnant women and women, who have children in special facilities for children in prisons and penal colonies. The child rights ombudsman is to exercise this power without a need for special permission, the document reads.

The law also envisages punishment for interference with actions of the children’s rights commissioner and non-compliance with the ombudsman’s legal requests.

The State Duma adopted the initiative on December 19. The Federation Council approved it on December 21.

The sitting Russian children’s rights commissioner Anna Kuznetsova on Friday welcomed the law adoption and thanked President Putin for the confidence in the ombudsman's Office.