Russia Prepares Law to Prosecute Journalists as Terrorists b4in.org/p0sY The Russian newspaper Izvestia reports the Russian Duma is drafting amendments to the criminal code that will allow the Putin government to prosecute journalists as terrorists. The law will establish administrative and criminal liability for media executives who “allow publication of false anti-Russian information, provide information and support to extremist anti-Russian separatist forces, including the reflection of events beyond the borders of Russia,” a reference to events in Ukraine and Crimea. Izvestia, the former newspaper of record in the Soviet Union, reports the amendments were drafted after journalists “admitted incorrect historical analogies and interpretation of events in Russia and the Ukraine coup.” State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fyodorov said he wanted “to amend the Criminal Code and Administrative Code and the law on combating extremism and terrorism” in response to a “number of crimes against the state [by] media professionals aimed at supporting terrorism, intervention, separatism and genocide.” In addition, according to Fyodorov, the amendments will cover “articles about espionage, treason, armed rebellion” and punish journalists allegedly “inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity.” More b4in.org/p0sY
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 03:57:33 +0000