The Russian parliament voted Wednesday to pardon foes of President Boris Yeltsin who staged an armed rebellion last October and an attempted communist coup in 1991.
Deputies voted 253-67 for a resolution that also gave amnesty to businessmen convicted in the former communist era for activities no longer considered crimes.The resolution said the amnesty came into force immediately.
It also covered communists accused of responsibility for riots in Moscow on May 1 last year in which a policeman was killed.