The Investigative Committee opened three more criminal cases for fakes about coronavirus

The Investigative Committee of Russia reported on the initiation of three new criminal cases for spreading fake news about the coronavirus (Article 207.1 of the Criminal Code). Cases were initiated in the Tver and Novgorod regions, as well as in the Republic of Tatarstan. This is reported by Mediazona with reference to the agency's website.

In the Tver region, the cause of the criminal case was the publication in one of the local online publications about the high mortality rate in the city clinical hospital No. 7. The Investigative Committee emphasizes that “at least 131 visitors” saw this information.

In the Novgorod region, a case was opened for publishing that 30 prisoners of a colony in the village of Toporok, Novgorod region, fell ill with a coronavirus infection. SC reports that this information is not true.

In Tatarstan, the reason was a post that talked about an outbreak of the virus in a local hospital and the hospitalization of half of its staff.

At the moment, the Investigative Committee is conducting investigative actions and operational search activities in order to find those responsible for the dissemination of this information.

• On April 1, 2020, Article 207.1 of the Criminal Code - “Public dissemination of knowingly false information about circumstances that pose a threat to the life and security of citizens that pose a threat to the life and security of citizens” came into force. The maximum penalty under the article is up to three years in prison.
• On April 3, it became known about the first criminal case under Article 207.1 of the Criminal Code. Activist Anna Shushpanova was searched. Now she is on trial as a witness. Then cases were initiated because of a satirical video about a conspiracy theory about coronavirus, because of a publication that armored vehicles were stationed near the city of Volkhov in connection with a pandemic , and because of a publication about a patient who was allegedly diagnosed with coronavirus and released home, as well as because of the publication about the infection of Russian soldiers in Syria.