The lower house of parliament (Duma) unanimously adopted an amendment that would sentence to 15 years in prison for disseminating information aimed at “discrediting” the armed forces.
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Posted on 04.03.2022 14:40 Updated on 04.03.2022 14:46
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Moscow tightens the screw. Russia has imposed harsh penalties for spreading “false information about the army” on Friday, March 4, the latest illustration of the internal turn that accompanies the invasion of Ukraine. The lower house of parliament (Duma) unanimously adopted an amendment that provides for various sentences of up to 15 years in prison for disseminating information aimed at “discrediting” the armed forces.
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The amendment also provides for sanctions for “calls for sanctions against Russia”, facing Western retaliatory measures for its invasion of Ukraine. These texts, which apply to both the media and individuals, must be approved by the upper house on Friday. They allow the authorities to strengthen their arsenal in the information war they are waging in parallel with the war in Ukraine.
Authorities have also stepped up pressure on the few independent media outlets that have managed to operate in recent years despite the hostile climate to control the story of the war. Thus, the media regulator Roskomnadzor announced that it had restricted access to the websites of the Russian-language BBC and the German international radio and television station Deutsche Welle (DW), the independent website Meduza and Radio Liberty, the Russian branch of RFE / RL.
The day before, the iconic radio station Echo of Moscow (Echo of Moscow) announced its termination, and the independent television channel Doid had ceased operations after blocking their websites.
In addition, according to the NGO OVD-Info, more than 8,000 people have been arrested in Russia for demonstrations, particularly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, against the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, the day it was launched.
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