The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted today in the final third reading an amendment to the Law “On Information”, which provides for the possibility of extrajudicial restriction of access to sites that disseminate false information related to accusations of committing crimes.
The basis for blocking will be a person’s application to the prosecutor’s office to take measures to remove false accusations of committing a crime, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Such application will need to be accompanied by documents confirming the unreliability of the information posted.
“Unfortunately, the Internet is now a territory where there is a presumption of guilt, and not vice versa. We hope that this tool will help those who are fighting for their honor, dignity and business reputation,” said Sergei Boyarsky, a deputy from United Russia, who presented the bill.
The bill was criticized by representatives of all three opposition factions.
“At the end of its term, the State Duma is finally attacking the constitutional right of citizens to receive and freely disseminate information under statements about the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation... You are adopting a law according to which the troika: the prosecutor of the subject, a representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office and Roskomnadzor will completely block information” , said “Zhirinovite” Sergei Ivanov.
Representative of A Just Russia Valery Gartung believes that the problem could be solved within the framework of existing law enforcement practice.
“In cases where information really needs to be deleted, this law will not help us. And in cases where the issue is controversial and political, this law provides a tool for clearing the information field before the elections,” Hartung said.
Communist Alexey Kurinny believes that the law will be applied selectively.
“The mechanism that is included in the bill is absolutely selective... Will tens of thousands of offended, unfairly accused citizens be able to restore their rights under this mechanism? Certainly not. We don't have many prosecutors. This will be done in exceptionally necessary cases, when an important person has been offended,” the deputy said.
The dissenters were opposed by United Russia member Evgeniy Revenko.
“The mechanism proposed by this bill is transparent and effective. Within two working weeks, a person can act on the slander that is being spread against him... This bill is an attack on the bacchanalia that often happens on the Internet. This is an attack on slander, on slander... You propose to spread rubbish on the Internet, then go and prove it... This law can stop the campaigns of mockery that we see on the Internet,” he said.