Russian authorities decided to protect the purity of morals in Russian internet and clear out “all negative words” of insulting character, but only in relation to Russian authorities. In other words mass media, bloggers and any person can write in internet anything negative about any authorities except Russian in Russian segment of internet. In other words if you write something negative about Russian politician you could be punished in Russia under proposed law.
The two draft law introducing amendments to current Russian law have been introduced. De facto these draft laws qualify insulting in the address of representative of authority in the internet as minor hooliganism. The first law provides amendments to Russian administrative code. The article “Minor hooliganism” is to be supplemented by the liability for dissemination in internet of materials “obscenely expressing explicit disrespect to the society, state, official state symbols, constitution and state authorities”. The punishment for such minor hooliganism is administrative detention or penalty up to 5 thousands roubles.
The second law provides amendments to the law on information, its protection and informational technologies. This law provides restriction of access to the “offensive material”. The prosecutor general and his deputies have the right to require the Russian internet watchdog Roskomnadzor to restrict access to – i.e. blocking – such materials without court order. Recently the Russian legislators also introduced the law which equaling dissemination of false information to the extremism.