(Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on Thursday predicting to punish research on the internet of content classified “extremists”, a text which has aroused concern even among the supporters of the Kremlin and which further accentuates the in progress repression.
This text had caused a rare opposition of sixty parliamentarians and criticisms, including in circles that support the hunt for power in Russia.
It provides fines of up to 5,000 rubles (around 86 Canadian dollars) for people looking online “extremist” content, a term which has a very wide definition in Russian legislation and which may affect both groups considered to be terrorist or ultra -nationalist and political opponents or religious movements.
The organization of the deceased opponent Alexei Navalny is thus classified “extremist” in Russia, as well as the “LGBT international movement”.
The law also prohibits promoting VPNs, systems notably allowing to circumvent censorship, widely used in Russia.
This legislation had been adopted earlier in July by the Russian Parliament despite the notable opposition of two parliamentary groups.
The opponent Boris Nadejdine, who wanted to challenge Vladimir Putin to the presidential election in March 2024 but whose candidacy was rejected by the authorities, had then denounced to AFP a law which “will punish the crime of thought as in the novel 1984 »From the British writer George Orwell.
Russia drastically restricted freedom of the press and freedom of expression on the Internet since the launch of its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, by focusing more and more on Western platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube and X.