MOSCOW, April 15 (RAPSI) – Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, approved a bill allowing convicts to meet with priests in private, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

The bill was developed by the Ministry of Justice as part of the penitentiary system improvement program through 2020. The concept includes promoting cooperation with major religious organizations and enabling convicts to participate in religious meetings as well as joint humanitarian projects between the traditional faiths.

The bill would formalize the right of convicts to have an unlimited number of personal meetings with clergy, lasting up to two hours each upon the priest’s written agreement. These meetings are to be held privately and out of earshot of other persons, but they will be video monitored.

The bill’s authors argue that video monitoring is essential to prevent provocations and abuse, for example, delivery of prohibited items.

The clergy would have to represent religious associations registered in accordance with legislation.

The bill also stipulates that the authorized agencies are responsible for developing cooperation agreements between the Federal Penitentiary Service, its regional branches and religious organizations. This is required to ensure the uniformity of such agreements (there are currently 80).

The prison authorities would be required to provide premises for these meetings and to create conditions for conducting religious ceremonies in accordance with the agreements signed with religious organizations.