MOSCOW, June 23 (RAPSI) – The Russian State Duma has passed the bill on assignment of public defenders in criminal cases in the first reading, the official web site of the lower house of the Parliament reads on Friday.

According to the current legislation, the procedure for provision of legal assistance by attorneys participating in criminal proceedings as public defenders is determined by councils of the chambers of lawyers for each region of the Russian Federation. As a result, there is no uniform procedure for the activities of public defenders in criminal proceedings in Russia.

Meanwhile, the amendments to the law regulating the work of attorneys, adopted by the State Duma in the first reading, say that the procedure for appointing a public defender by investigators or a court is determined by the council of the Russian Federal Chamber of Lawyers.

The authors of the bill seek to clarify that the procedure for provision of legal assistance by lawyers participating in criminal proceedings as public defenders falls within the competence of the Russian Federal Chamber of Lawyers. At the same time, it is proposed to clarify that the chambers of lawyers in regions of Russia are to organize provision of legal assistance by public defenders in accordance with this procedure.