Politics in Russia
Putin strengthens censorship and internet surveillance
The Russian president has ratified a law on Thursday which will punish “extremist” research in Russia. This concerns opponents of the regime or LGBT movements.
This law even arouses concern among some supporters of Vladimir Putin (archive image).
AFP/Mikhail Metzel
The Russian President Vladimir Poutine Signed on Thursday the law providing for punishing the internet research of classified “extremists” content, a text which aroused concern even among the supporters of the Kremlin and which further accentuates the repression in progress.
This text had caused a rare opposition of sixty parliamentarians and criticisms, including in circles that support the hunt for power in Russia.
Repression is accentuated in Russia
It provides fines of up to 5,000 rubles (around 50 francs) for people who are looking for “extremist” content online, a term which has a very wide definition in Russian legislation and which can concern both groups considered as terrorists or ultra -nationalist as well as political opponents or religious movements.
The organization of the deceased opponent Alexeus Navalny is thus classified “extremist” in Russia, as is the “LGBT international movement”.
The law also prohibits promoting VPNs, systems notably allowing to circumvent censorship, widely used in Russia.
Two parliamentary groups opposed to the law
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.
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