Anti -extremism lottery

Human rights activists predict the growth of criminal prosecution for statements on the Internet

In Russia, over the past two years, the number of criminal sentences and administrative penalties for sayings on the Internet has significantly increased-these are the conclusions of the experts of the SOVA information and analytical center, they are contained in the next report, which is presented today in Moscow. At the same time, measures applied under anti -exploration legislation lead to further restricting freedom of speech, but do not reduce the level of enemy language on the Internet. "

According to the Owl expert Natalia Yudina, a list of legislative articles at which users can be involved in posts on social networks has also expanded. Punishments, in turn, were tightened. Natalia Yudina is sure that the adoption of the so -called package of anti -terrorism laws of Yarova will lead to an increase in persecution for statements on social networks. Today it became known that Russian oppositionists intend to hold a rally demanding to cancel anti -terrorism amendments to the legislation. The corresponding application to the Moscow City Hall was filed by the ally of Alexei Navalny Leonid Volkov.

About what posts on social networks you can get a fine or prison term, Natalya Yudina told in an interview with Radio Liberty.

- How did the statistics of persecution on the Internet change on extremist articles over the past couple of years? As I understand it, the report concerns 2014-15.

Natalia Yudina

- Yes, this is my third report on this topic. Firstly, the number of articles on which criminal cases against Internet users are initiated is growing. In addition to the familiar Articles 282 on the initiation of national hatred, and Article 280 on public calls for extremism, Article 212 on calls for mass riots began to be used more actively, according to which they are attracted for publications indicating the place of gathering for all kinds of promotions. Article 205 on public calls for terrorist activities began to be applied more often, a new article began to be applied-on public calls to violation of territorial integrity, and this was mainly associated with a variety of pro-Ukrainian statements. Typically, the punishment under the article for terrorism is harder, because it already refers to counter -terrorism legislation.

In 2015, we unexpectedly counted 16 people who sat purely for words

Accordingly, punishments have become tougher. We know far from everything, but even according to well -known information you can see how the situation changes. Previously, sentences to imprisonment for statements were rare, we probably saw one or two dubious sentences, where there was a purely propaganda article, without any aggravating circumstances. More often there was a comprehensive accusation, for example, Article 282 could be combined with articles about violence, that is, a person attacked someone at the same time and at the same time shouted something, and he was charged with two crimes, but in fact he was sentenced to imprisonment for attack. In 2015, we unexpectedly counted 16 people who sat in their pure form for words. And this is really unprecedented growth, I would like to pay attention to.

-Indeed, with some frightening regularity, news appear not only about the fact that someone had a criminal case for saying on the Internet, but also gave a real term. And what, in your opinion, served as a trigger for this shaft of criminal cases for posts on the Internet?

“VKontakte” hosts in Russia, and therefore you can contact the administrator of the network, who, at the first request of a law enforcement officer, is obliged to provide data on page owners

- The trend that the persecution for statements is ahead of the persecution for all other articles of an extremist nature combined, has been observed for a long time. In my opinion, since 2011 we have been fixing such an increase in the number of criminal cases on "propaganda" articles. And this is connected, it seems to me, not with some kind of malicious things, but with the fact that we have a common report on all crimes of an extremist orientation. And they include both really dangerous crimes, for example, related to violence based on hatred and reposts in social networks. And if earlier, operatives did not really understand how to work with “propaganda” articles on how to collect evidence, then over the past few years, routine practice has developed and it turned out that in fact such crimes are easier to investigate. The number of law enforcement officers who use, for example, the VKontakte social network has grown, it turned out that it is very easy to use this network, it is easy to look for different reposts in which people write not the most tolerant things. The social network "VKontakte" hosts in Russia, you can contact the administrator of the network, who, at the first request of a law enforcement officer, is obliged to provide data on page owners. It is more difficult to work with Facebook, he is walking in America, and we must convince American providers so that they send some information, but there are no problems with Russian social networks.

-What percentage of such cases concerns some socially dangerous statements when it is really about ardent nationalists, racists, xenophobes, when can we say that a person really deservedly received his term?

Когда преследуются такие известные и популярные среди праворадикалов фигуры, которых действительно есть за что взять, то материалы, которые им вменяются, должны быть выбраны с особой тщательностью

- If until 2013 relatively random users were mainly prosecuted, then from 2013-14 the years began to more actively persecute all kinds of right -wing radicals. This is probably due to their anti -government position in the Ukrainian issue, they did not support the war in Ukraine and opposed the state. Plus, apparently, in the wake of screams about Ukrainian fascists, they began to pursue their own, in the last two years, quite a few famous right -wing guards have been criminalized in “propaganda” articles, and new cases are now investigated. But here is another trouble. It was really necessary to pursue these people for a long time, but it seems to me that when it comes to such famous and popular figures in their midst, with particular thoroughness you need to choose what exactly they can be held accountable. Instead, unfortunately, the necessary people are taken for the first violation that fall. Say, there was a sensational sentence to the famous right -wing character - Maxim Martsinkevich, Tesak. He sat in 2014 for three videos, and, frankly, from all the "rich creativity" of this man, the videos were far from the most indicative.

-That is, it turns out that even in the case when a person is persecuted fairly, some kind of hacks of law enforcement agencies is obvious.

-Yes, yes, yes, it is, hack. There is also a famous character Dmitry Demushkin, he was attracted for some kind of caricature, although it was easy to find more serious reasons.

- Do you expect a persecution of persecution for reposts on the Internet in connection with the adoption of a sensational package of Yarovoy's laws?

- Certainly! There is an opportunity to report on the fight against world terrorism, which is very simple. I think that the persecution for all these articles will continue to grow.

- That is, just a law enforcement agencies will become more tools for raising reports.

- That's right!

- You have developed a memo for writing on the Internet. What is it like?

Grab the first people who came across the first one that came across, and this is a matter of luck - they will choose you or not choose

- This is such a small brochure for ordinary users of the Internet, which lists the articles of the criminal and administrative codes on which people can be held accountable. And there are practical recommendations that it is worth publishing, which is not worth it. For example, there is now a popular opinion that they are pursuing like on social networks, but this is not true, so far we do not know a single case of bringing to criminal or administrative responsibility for likes. But we know the case when a woman who was simply marked in the video among the other 30 people was brought to administrative responsibility in Perm. She didn’t even delve into what this video, and just took a mark. As a result, the woman was fined under an administrative article, for some reason they chose her. I have the feeling that this is such a lottery. The trouble with such a persecution is that no one - nor users of social networks, nor society, or law enforcement officers have a clear understanding of what, in fact, should be prohibited, where this red line, through which one cannot cross. They just grab the first people who have come across on the first reason, and this is a matter of luck - they will choose you or not choose you, ”says Natalia Yudina.

Experts of the SOVA information and analytical center today submit two reports in the Sakharov Center-on counteracting xenophobia and radical nationalism and anti-extremism on the Internet in 2014-15. They also prepared a memo for writing on the Internet about what kind of statements can fall under anti -ecstromist legislation.