They decided to make online comments a serious crime. Russian authorities are preparing a new tightening of censorship laws that will make online comments a "serious" crime. The draft amendments to the criminal law, which the government submitted this week to the Duma, include stricter criminal penalties - up to 4 years in prison - for "calling for mass riots", "justifying terrorism" and violence against government officials. It is planned to introduce a new part of the article (3.1) with prison sentences of 6 years for those "use of the Internet or the media" actions. Now acts under Part 3 of Article 212 are classified as crimes of minor severity. With a maximum sentence of 4 years, the main offense will move to the category of medium severity, and Internet conversations with a sanction of up to six years will be classified as serious, explained lawyers interviewed by Deutsche Welle. This is a continuation of a more general trend of the Russian authorities in the last 15 years - introducing and increasing the punishment for "words", said Yevgeny Smirnov, a lawyer at the Human Rights Project of the First Department. In his estimation, legislative changes make more and more dangerous topics for discussion: from events classified as terrorism to the actions of the Russian authorities and the military. Transferring internet conversations to the category of serious crimes will also expand the possibilities for arresting the accused, states lawyer Valeria Vitushkina. The Criminal Procedure Law now allows such a measure in relation to suspects and accused of crimes of moderate severity using violence or the threat of using it, as well as serious and especially serious crimes. The amendments will thus allow the security forces to send citizens to pre-trial detention centers for online comments. More details.

They decided to make online comments a serious crime. Russian authorities are preparing a new tightening of censorship laws that will make online comments a "serious" crime. The draft amendments to the criminal law, which the government submitted this week to the Duma, include stricter criminal penalties - up to 4 years in prison - for "calling for mass riots", "justifying terrorism" and violence against government officials. It is planned to introduce a new part of the article (3.1) with prison sentences of 6 years for those "use of the Internet or the media" actions. Now acts under Part 3 of Article 212 are classified as crimes of minor severity. With a maximum sentence of 4 years, the main offense will move to the category of medium severity, and Internet conversations with a sanction of up to six years will be classified as serious, explained lawyers interviewed by Deutsche Welle. This is a continuation of a more general trend of the Russian authorities in the last 15 years - introducing and increasing the punishment for "words", said Yevgeny Smirnov, a lawyer at the Human Rights Project of the First Department. In his estimation, legislative changes make more and more dangerous topics for discussion: from events classified as terrorism to the actions of the Russian authorities and the military. Transferring internet conversations to the category of serious crimes will also expand the possibilities for arresting the accused, states lawyer Valeria Vitushkina. The Criminal Procedure Law now allows such a measure in relation to suspects and accused of crimes of moderate severity using violence or the threat of using it, as well as serious and especially serious crimes. The amendments will thus allow the security forces to send citizens to pre-trial detention centers for online comments. More details.