A journalist in North Ossetia was fined under an article about fake news about coronavirus

On July 16, the Industrial District Court of Vladikavkaz imposed a fine of 30,000 rubles on local journalist Alan Mamiev under the article on the dissemination of false information about the coronavirus infection (part 9 of article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). this Mamiev himself announced on Facebook.

“All our arguments with a lawyer, the opinions of experts, officials and doctors that we cited that COVID19 is not a virus of natural origin, were not taken into account. The wording itself is touching, “created panic in society,” writes Alan Mamiev and provides a link to the video that became the reason for initiating an administrative case.

• Across Russia, police officers massively draw up protocols, initiate criminal cases and demand that access to content about the coronavirus be restricted in connection with the operation of the law prohibiting the dissemination of “knowingly false information”. According to the Agora international group, as of June 9, 2020, a total of 170 administrative cases were opened in Russia in 53 regions and 42 criminal cases in 24 regions of the country.