The media will not punish guests for swearing on air or in comments on websites

Roskomnadzor does not intend to apply sanctions to the media if obscene words appear on air or on websites for reasons beyond their control, the agency’s press service reports .

Sanctions can only be applied to public slander of media employees. Obscene statements by guests or other participants in the live broadcast will be the basis for instructions on the need to conduct explanatory work during the organization of the broadcast.

“Roskomnadzor does not intend to implicate the media for the use of obscene (obscene) language by third parties in comments to published materials,” the press release also states. At the same time, online media editors will be required to delete or edit comments or blog entries containing obscene language posted on their websites.

There will be no special list of swear words for which administrative punishment is provided, Roskomnadzor clarified. “It is planned to submit non-obvious and controversial cases to philologists for examination,” the department said in a statement.

A bill on fines for swearing in the media was submitted to the State Duma in October 2012. The authors of the initiative, United Russia deputies, referred to complaints from citizens. The Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building recommended adopting the ban, but the government left a negative review on the bill, considering that it duplicates already existing norms. Nevertheless, on March 19, 2013, the State Duma adopted the law banning obscene language in the media, the Federation Council approved it on March 27, and on April 8 the law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Violators face fines: from 2 to 3 thousand rubles for citizens, from 5 to 20 thousand rubles for officials and from 20 to 200 thousand rubles for legal entities.