Russia's lower house of parliament on Friday approved a government amnesty plan intended to persuade rebels in Chechnya and surrounding regions to disarm and surrender to authorities. The State Duma quickly passed the amnesty bill, proposed by President Vladimir Putin, in a 350-80 vote, with one abstention. The amnesty, part of an effort to end more than a decade of separatist resistance following the deaths of top rebel leaders this summer, would remain in effect through Jan. 15. The amnesty would also apply to Russian servicemen suspected of committing crimes while serving in Chechnya and other republics in Russia's volatile North Caucasus, the Associated Press reported.
