Friday the thirteenth

A truly significant day in the history of the State Duma. On July 13, a law on NGOs was adopted, labeling any malicious figures who feed from the hand of the world's backstage as a foreign agent, and the article on libel, removed from there less than a year ago, was returned to the Criminal Code.

374 deputies voted for the law on NGOs. For the second reading, Putin’s proposals were taken into account, according to which its action does not apply to religious organizations, state corporations and state-owned companies, as well as NPOs created by them, plus state, municipal and budgetary institutions. Did anyone doubt it?

238 deputies voted to reinstate the libel clause. By the second reading, it was decided not to punish libel with a prison term, but to significantly increase the maximum fine - up to five million rubles.

For the dissemination of knowingly false information that discredits the honor and dignity of another person or undermines his reputation, the fine will be up to 500 thousand rubles. Defamation using official position is punishable by a fine of up to 2 million rubles.

Defamation contained in a public speech, publicly displayed work or media will be punishable by a fine of up to 1 million. (It will definitely not be possible to write epigrams.) Slander using one’s official position is punishable by a fine of up to two million rubles.

The maximum fine for slander that a person suffers from a disease that poses a danger to others, as well as for slander associated with accusing a person of committing a crime of a sexual nature, is proposed to be set at up to three million.

It is proposed to punish slander coupled with accusing a person of committing a grave or especially grave crime by a fine of up to five million rubles, which is ten times higher than previously proposed sanctions.

A new article is also being introduced: “slander against a judge, juror, prosecutor, investigator, person conducting an inquiry, bailiff.” Well, of course, our court is the most humane and fair. And incorruptible. Defamation of these persons in connection with a preliminary investigation or execution of a sentence, court decision or other judicial act is punishable by a fine of up to one million rubles.

The same acts, coupled with a person being accused of committing a grave or especially grave crime, are proposed to be punishable by a fine of up to five million rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to three years, or by compulsory labor for a period of up to 480 hours.

Here we should once again remind you of the most important word “knowingly”, which everyone forgets about. There is a big risk that, for example, they will be fined for making assumptions about the involvement of government officials in crimes or for criticism in general. The logic is possible the same as it was when a case was opened against the Khimki journalist Mikhail Beketov, who suggested that the mayor of the city Vladimir Strelchenko was involved in the arson of his car: after all, it is already completely clear that a crystal honest mayor cannot be involved in a crime, which means statements to the contrary are slander.