DUSSELDORF, Germany (AP) – Russians could face up to 15 years in prison for spreading information that contradicts the Russian government’s position on the war in Ukraine, a move that is coming as authorities block access to foreign media.
Russia’s parliament voted unanimously Friday to approve a bill criminalizing the deliberate dissemination of what Russia considers “fake” reports.
Russian authorities have repeatedly condemned reports of Russian military failures or deaths of civilians in Ukraine as “false” reports. The state media called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” rather than a “war” or an “invasion.”
The bill was approved by the lower and upper houses of parliament in quick succession and is now expected to be signed by President Vladimir Putin to take effect on Saturday, said lower house chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.
“It is possible that by tomorrow its rules will force those who have lied and made statements discrediting our armed forces to suffer a very severe punishment,” Volodin said. “I want everyone to understand and the public to understand that we are doing this to protect our soldiers and officers and to protect the truth.
The BBC announced on Friday that it was suspending all its journalists and support staff in Russia while assessing the consequences of the new law.
BBC Director-General Tim Davy said the legislation “seems to criminalize the process of independent journalism”.
“The safety of our staff is paramount and we are not prepared to put them at risk of prosecution just for doing their job,” he said.
Davey said the BBC’s Russian-language news service would continue to operate outside Russia.
The law provides for sentences of up to three years or fines for spreading what authorities consider fake news to the military, but the maximum sentence is increased to 15 years for cases believed to have led to “grave consequences,” the lower house said. of Parliament. .
The type of material, which faces official disapproval, became clear on Friday as the communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said it was blocking five foreign-based media outlets that publish news in Russian.
They published “false information”, the regulator said in a statement issued by Russian news agencies on topics including “methods of conducting hostilities (attacks on civilians, strikes on civilian infrastructure), the number of losses of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and civilian casualties.
The blocs affect the BBC, the US government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, the German television company Deutsche Welle and the Latvian-based website Meduza. Together, they are among the most influential and often critical foreign media published in Russian.
In the early afternoon in Moscow, the BBC website showed a message from Roskomnadzor that it was blocked. The Russian-language content of Radio Free Europe was not available, but the content of the Voice of America remained available.
The BBC has posted instructions on Twitter on how Russian readers can get around the block using apps or the “dark web”.
“Access to accurate, independent information is a fundamental human right that should not be denied to the people of Russia, millions of whom rely on BBC News every week. We will continue our efforts to make BBC News available in Russia and the rest of the world, “the BBC said.
Earlier this week, the BBC said it was returning shortwave radio to Ukraine and parts of Russia so people could listen to its basic equipment programs.
Some prominent media outlets in Russia have chosen to shut down instead of facing severe restrictions on what they can report. The news site Znak announced that it closes on Friday morning, shortly after parliament approved the bill. Russia’s leading independent radio station, Echo of Moscow, was shut down on Thursday, and the independent television station Dozdh ceased operations after receiving a threat of closure from authorities.
Authorities have also made extensive efforts to target human rights organizations.
Authorities raided the offices of Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights groups, on Friday. According to Memorial members, police did not provide any explanations or warnings.
“The police refused to release me and the lawyer without explanation, and when I tried to prevent the army officers in bulletproof vests and masks from arriving, they threatened to force me if I did not release them,” International Memorial President Jan Rachinski said. “This is the level of justice today in the Russian capital.
Another leading human rights group, Civil Aid, was also attacked at a Moscow office on Friday.
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Jill Lawless contributed from London.
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