Russian authorities are preparing to expand censorship

More and more repressions are being prepared against people who disagree with the Russian authorities: book publishers are next in line

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture Elena Yampolskaya proposed several legislative initiatives the day before that would expand censorship not only in the media, but also in the book industry. She had claims against Boris Akunin, Glukhovsky, Parfenov and Bykov. According to Yampolskaya, “in the very first days of the special operation, they hastened to report to the West that “they don’t want our children to live in an aggressor country, so that they are ashamed that their army attacked a neighboring independent state.”

Yesterday, Yampolskaya proposed to fight against anglicisms in the public space and advocated the return of her native language. She called the writers and cultural figures who went abroad traitors and urged: stop counting the traitors, be proud of those who stayed with their people. They, in her opinion, are folk artists.

As for the writers, Yampolskaya expressed her indignation as early as March 31. She went to bookstores and was outraged by what attracts the public. “In the center - near the cash desks, on separate stands - again Akunin. The famous bookstore “Moskva” has graced Akunin's window and confirms its choice with regular reminders from the speakers: buy Akunin's new book, you won't regret it.

This is how they advertise a person who not only takes an aggressively anti-Russian and anti-state position for many years, but managed to say something fresh in the last month, ”writes Yampolskaya. And he continues: “Akunin is not shy. Having long since left the borders of Russia, he is sure of his own impunity. And financial stability, of course. It is published by the largest domestic publishing houses, all bookstores are littered with precocious Akunin waste paper.

She then listed government measures to support the book industry and her development: a law recognizing book publishers as social entrepreneurs. “I hope, when making such humane decisions, the head of the region or city will first ask: what exactly is being distributed at this point, what are the priorities?” - as if the parliamentarian outlined the criteria for support.

She also promised that the State Duma Committee on Culture would soon ask hard-hitting questions to the founders and owners of bookstores. The conversation with publishers is also ahead.

UPD: Today, Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, instructed to study and analyze the content of printed publications authored by Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon. He added that Gordon's books are on the open market. A criminal case was also opened against the journalist for public calls to unleash an aggressive war, inciting hatred or enmity on the grounds of nationality, spreading fakes about the Russian army (part 2 of article 354, paragraph “b”, part 2 of article 282, paragraph “ a "part 2 article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).