Russia | The deputies vote to punish the search for “extremist” content online

(Moscow) Russian deputies voted at the second reading on Thursday a bill which plans to punish research on the Internet of content classified “extremists”. Therefore, a measure which further accentuates repression in Russia. Meanwhile,

Posted at 9:54 a.m.

The definition of what is “extremist” is very wide in Russian legislation. Moreover, which may concern both terrorist or ultra -nationalist groups and political opponents or religious movements. Similarly,

The organization of the deceased opponent Alexei Navalny is thus classified “extremist” in Russia. Furthermore, as well as the “LGBT international movement”. Nevertheless,

This bill provides russia | deputies vote punish fines of up to 5,000 rubles (around 87 dollars) for people looking for “extremist” content online. Furthermore, It also sanctions up to 500. 000 rubles (approximately 8774 dollars) those who transmit SIM cards from their phones to other people or who promote VPNs, systems allowing in particular to bypass censorship.

Rare thing, this text voted Thursday at 283 votes for, 22 against and 22 abstentions, caused criticism even within pro-Kremlin circles.

Echoing them. the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, interviewed by AFP at a press briefing on Thursday, asked “detailed explanations” to the initiators of the project “to answer the questions that people ask themselves” about him.

He recognized that this bill has “a resonance” within the population.

The deliberations Thursday at Duma. the russia | deputies vote punish lower room of Parliament, however, did not make it possible to clarify the exact methods of the application of this bill in judicial practice.

A MP for the Communist Party. Alexei Kourinny, estimated that the text would lead to a risk of fines for “40 % of the population” Russian, that is to be those which use a VPN to bypass the blocking of social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, prohibited in Russia.

“It is absolutely unfair to register all these people on the list of enemies and punish them,” he scandalized.

The bill was also criticized by the pro-Kremlin blogger Ekaterina Mizoulina. known for her multiple denunciations of musicians and journalists opposed to the Russian offensive against Ukraine.

According to Sarkis Darbinian. a lawyer russia | deputies vote punish in exile and founder of the Roskomsvoboda online rights NGO, this law represents “an individual tool allowing additional pressure” on Russian society and which “will cause many fears among Internet users”.

“All these measures aim to encourage people to […] Remove the groups to which they are subscribed as well as different types of applications that the Russian authorities now consider illegal. “he told AFP.

Tuesday. the Duma also voted in third reading a law which makes it possible to recognize “extremist” an entire community if one of its members has been classified as such, another legislation which strengthens repression.