Russian scholars, legal experts speak out against 'constitutional coup'

Hundreds of scholars, journalists, and legal experts in Russia warned that of a “constitutional crisis and a pseudo-legal, unconstitutional coup”, after the country’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, passed the president-for-life bill, allowing Vladimir Putin to stay on past 2024.
More than 420 people had signed the open letter, hours before the court approved the constitutional changes, which would reset Putin’s presidential term count. This means he could stand in the next two elections.
In its letter, which was published by the Russian media, the group says that the amendment nullifying the terms of the current president is “fundamentally unlawful, and politically and ethically unacceptable”.
The group also condemns the “gross violation of the procedure for adopting constitutional amendments,” saying that the avenue taken for the pending amendments “openly violates” federal law.
The letter concludes that the situation “undermines the evolutionary development of our country on the principles of democracy and freedoms and threatens to turn into a new tragedy of national discord.”
A nationwide vote on the proposed amendments is set for 22 April. The opposition called for protests on 21 March. After the protest announcement, the authorities banned outdoor events with attendance of more than 5,000 until 10 April. They explained the measure was intended to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.