MOSCOW, January 24 - RAPSI. The tendency in Russia to "immediately" amend laws as the authorities respond to current events with new bills, is evidence of a legal instability which poses a threat to the public's legal protection, Mikhail Fedotov, head of the Presidential Human Rights Council, said at a news conference on the issue of protecting citizens' religious feelings.

"The legal system is effective only when it is stable. A constitution that has been in effect through the decades is much better than a constitution that changes every year. I personally advocate stability in the law," Fedotov said.

The draft law that proposes penalties for insulting believers' religious feelings was introduced by a group of deputies in the State Duma after the Pussy Riot punk prayer at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, which drew a heavy public response. The draft implies introducing amendments to Russia's Criminal Code and introduces prison terms of up to five years and increases fines a hundredfold for offending religious feelings and violation of sacred places.

Speaking of the draft law, which was criticized by human rights activists, Fedotov said that the Presidential Human Rights Council would work for a balanced situation.

Earlier Fedotov said that the draft law, as introduced in the State Duma, must be rejected. The expert's conclusion, made on January 23, states that the definition of the act of "insulting the religious feelings of believers" lacks legal clarity, which could result in an ambiguous interpretation of the standards and thus, the violation of an individual's rights and freedoms.