Deputy Head of Center "E" Speaks Out Against Criminal Cases for Reposts on Social Networks • Meduza • RIMA

Deputy Head of Center "E" Speaks Out Against Criminal Cases for Reposts on Social Networks

Deputy head of the Main Directorate for Combating Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( Center "E" ) Vladimir Makarov stated that reposts and likes on social networks should not become grounds for initiating criminal cases on extremism. This happened at a meeting organized by the All-Russian People's Front.

Deputy head of the Department of State Policy in the Field of Mass Media of the Ministry of Communications Arseniy Nedyak also spoke out against criminal prosecution for reposts, RIA Novosti reports .

The meeting also discussed bringing social media users to administrative responsibility under the articles “dissemination of extremist materials” (Article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation) and “propaganda of Nazi symbols” (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

The ONF stated that due to shortcomings in the relevant registry of the Ministry of Justice, it is difficult for users to find out which materials are recognized as extremist, and suggested limiting themselves to a warning if “a citizen was noticed for the first time” in such a violation. In addition, at the meeting, “experts agreed that Article 20.3. of the Code of Administrative Offenses requires adjustment,” the ONF reports.

"In all our methodological instructions and instructions, we always say that only intent [entails criminal punishment]. Such a repost or like should naturally not result in the initiation of a criminal case," Makarov said.
TASS

At the end of June, deputies Sergei Shargunov and Aleksei Zhuravlev introduced a bill to abolish criminal liability for reposts on the Internet. Earlier, Shargunov spoke about the problem during a direct line with Russian President Vladimir Putin; he instructed the ONF to study law enforcement under extremist articles.
In Russia, there are dozens of cases of both criminal and administrative prosecution for extremism due to reposts on social networks. People who published photos from the Second World War have been fined multiple times under the article on propaganda of Nazi symbols.