Putin signs law that provides jail sentences for spreading “fake news” about the army

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday that provides harsh prison sentences and fines for those who publish “false information” about the army, in a new twist of the internal repression in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine.

The deputies of the lower house of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) had unanimously adopted a few hours earlier an amendment that provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison if information is disclosed that seeks to “discredit” the armed forces.

Another amendment that came forward this Friday contemplates sanctions for those who request “sanctions against Russia”, when the country faces strong isolation measures adopted by Western countries for the attack on Ukraine.

These texts apply both to the media and to individuals.

In addition, the Russian Internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, ordered to block Facebook in the country, claiming that the social network “discriminates” against Russian media.

The Speaker of the Upper House of Parliament, Valentina Matvienko, accused the West of having launched “an information war against Russia that is unprecedented in its breadth and aggressiveness.”

media restriction

In order to further control the information that the Russian population receives about the conflict, the authorities increased the pressure on the few independent media that continued to work in the country despite the hostile climate.

Roskomnadzor also announced that it had limited access to the portals of the Russian edition of the British BBC and the German international radio and television Deutsche Welle, as well as the independent portal Meduza and Radio Svoboda, the Russian antenna of RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe). /Radio Liberty), media financed by the US Congress; to La Voz de América and other media not mentioned.

The BBC reported on Friday in a statement of the temporary suspension of the work of its journalists in Russia.

The day before, the emblematic radio station Ekho Moskvy (Echoes of Moscow) announced its dissolution and the Russian television station Dojd, close to the opposition, suspended its broadcasts, after being blocked by Roskomnadzor, for its way of covering the invasion.

The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor is the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner, announced the suppression of some of its publications on the war conflict.

The news website Znak announced in turn that it stopped working “due to the large number of restrictions that have recently arisen in the operation of the media in Russia.”

The Village, the reference cultural agenda in Moscow, made the decision to close its office in the Russian capital and move it to Warsaw (Poland).

Police operation against Memorial

These restrictions and closures come in a particularly tough year in Russia for the independent media, the political opposition and civil society.

Numerous publications and journalists have been labeled as “foreign agents”, a category that forces them to carry out heavy administrative procedures, with the risk of being prosecuted by law for the slightest fault.

The main opponent of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalni, was arrested on his return to Russia, having survived a poisoning attempt. His movement was dismantled.

The Russian justice decided in December to close Memorial, an NGO that was a pillar of the defense of human rights and custodian of the memory of millions of victims of crimes in the Soviet Union. A verdict confirmed after an appeal on Monday.

The NGO announced on Friday that a police operation was underway at its offices in Moscow, raising fears of its effective closure.

Another non-governmental organization, “Asistencia Cívica”, focused on helping migrants, was also the target of police raids on Friday. At the moment, the reasons for both investigations are unknown.

arrest of protesters

According to a human rights observatory in Russia, OVD-Info, more than 8,000 people have been arrested (mostly in Moscow and Saint Petersburg) since February 24 for having demonstrated against the invasion of Ukraine.

Faced with the calls against the war, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, estimated this Friday that the time has come for the population to unite around President Putin: “This is not the time to divide us, it is the time to unite. And unite around our president,” he stated.

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