Russian lawmakers approve amnesty that could affect Pussy Riot, Greenpeace activists At twin hearings Wednesday, the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, rushed through the final approvals of the legislation, which will come into force after being signed by Putin. Timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution, the amnesty is intended to show the Kremlin's humane side and promote reform of the country's draconian penitentiary system, human rights activists said. Russian opposition groups have criticized the bill as a cynical gesture designed to disarm foreign critics of Putin's hard-line policies before Russia hosts the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who were handed two-year jail terms last year after performing a raucous anti-Putin song in a Moscow cathedral, fall within the scope of the amnesty, Irina Khunova, a lawyer for Pussy Riot, told Russian news agencies Wednesday. "Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina may be freed before New Year's, as soon as the penal colony's governor prints the decree declaring them released from custody," she said. A late amendment adding hooliganism to the list of crimes covered by the amnesty is expected to secure a pardon for the 30 Greenpeace activists arrested by Russian coast guards in September during a protest at an oil rig in the Arctic Pechora Sea. Known as the "Arctic 30," the group spent two months in pre-trial detention before being released on bail last month. Greenpeace issued a statement Wednesday saying the amnesty would allow the pardon of the Arctic 30 but pledged to continue the campaign to halt potentially hazardous oil operations in the world's pristine frozen seas. Anton Beneslavsky, a lawyer for Greenpeace, warned that the amnesty process could take time. "We dare to hope that the issues will be resolved this year, and it is desirable to send the activists home for New Year's," he told the Interfax news agency. But for now we do not know how all the procedures, including with visas, will be settled. Not to mention that the decision of the State Duma should be published officially first. Separate amendments to the amnesty bill could spell reprieve for some of the 27 Russian citizens - including 12 currently on trial - who have been charged with participating in mass riots that erupted at an anti-government rally on the eve of Putin's inauguration to a third term as president last year. Critics of the case say that the charges, which could carry prison sentences of up to 13 years, have been fabricated by law-enforcement officials to stifle the Russian protest movement. Maria Arkhipova, a member of the May 6 citizens group founded to support the detainees said that the amnesty was an opportunity for the Russian authorities to "correct their mistakes" but that it was premature to discuss the possibility of a pardon. "It's a very cruel game," she said. Human rights groups that advised the Kremlin on the amnesty voiced disappointment at the limited scope of the final version adopted Wednesday. For the most part, the amnesty will cover vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, mothers, the disabled and the elderly serving sentences of up to five years. Prisoners guilty of grave crimes, terrorism or assaulting police are not eligible for pardon. As it stands, the amnesty is expected to cover about 2,000 convicts - less than 2 percent of Russia's prison population, said Valentin Gefter, director of the Institute of Human Rights. "It's very narrow and decorative in character," he said. In planning the amnesty, the authorities had to balance two competing goals: placating critics who consider Russia's penitentiary system too harsh and mollifying the overwhelming majority of the population that advocates tough punishments for crime and regrets the abolition of the death penalty. "We have to be grateful that some 2,000 prisoners will be freed," Gefter said. In some countries, amnesties are very rare or never happen at all.