Russian 2020 COVID-19 Fake News Law

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2020 COVID-19 Fake News Law
Federal Assembly
Long title
  • On Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation
    On Amendments to the Criminal Code the Russian Federation
Signed byPresident Vladimir Putin
Signed1 April 2020
Legislative history
First reading31 March 2020 (State Duma)
Second reading31 March 2020 (Federation Council)
Amends
Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses
Criminal Code of Russia
Status: Current legislation

The Russian 2020 COVID-19 Fake News Law is a group of 2 federal laws, adopted by State Duma on 31 March 2020, approved by Federation Council on 31 March 2020, and signed by President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 1 April 2020, establishing the administrative (Law No.99-FZ) and criminal (Law No.100-FZ) punishment for a dissemination of unreliable information about circumstances that threat to life and health of a citizen including epidemic, natural and technological disasters, emergency, and measures to ensure the security. These laws were aimed at making illegal any doubts as to the nature of COVID-19 and the reasonableness of the measures to combat the epidemic. These laws are an extension of Russian fake news laws.[1][2]

Overview

The Federal Law of 1 April 2020 No.99-FZ supplemented the article 13.15 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses with parts 10.1 and 10.2 providing huge administrative fines for natural persons and juridical persons for the dissemination of "unreliable information" about circumstances that threat to life and health of a citizen including epidemic, natural and technological disasters, emergency, and measures to ensure the security.[3][4]

The Federal Law of 1 April 2020 No.100-FZ supplemented the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with articles 207.1 and 207.2 providing huge criminal fines, forced labour and imprisonment of up to 5 years for natural persons for the dissemination of "unreliable information" about circumstances that threat to life and health of a citizen including epidemic, natural and technological disasters, emergency, and measures to ensure the security, if such dissemination has produced or could produce human casualties, damage to health of people or to environment, significant material losses, violation of living conditions of the population.[5][6]

Application of law

The first criminal case was opened against political activist Anna Shushpanova who stated in social media that patient with COVID-19 was sent home.[7]

The first person who was convicted under new articles of the Criminal Code of Russia is Ekaterina Khrapchenkova who stated in social media that one of Moscow's store sells masks previously received from Chinese authorities as humanitarian aid.[8]

Reaction

On 29 April 2020, Amnesty International stated that Russian authorities had prosecuted social media users, journalists and medical professionals for exposing flaws in their COVID-19 responses.[9]

According to the Freedom House report, Russian authorities imposed additional restrictions for media under the pretext of pandemic.[10]

See also

References

  1. S2CID 242888902. Archived
    from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. ^ "Fake-news и пандемия: как законодательство борется с дезинформацией" (in Russian). Pravo.ru. 26 June 2020.
  3. ^ О внесении изменений в Кодекс Российской Федерации об административных правонарушениях (Federal Law 99-FZ) (in Russian). State Duma. 1 April 2020. "Законодательство России. Поиск: Федеральный закон Дата принятия 01.04.2020 Номер начинается". Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Путин утвердил штрафы за нарушение карантина и фейки о коронавирусе". RBK (in Russian). 1 April 2020. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  5. ^ О внесении изменений в Уголовный кодекс Российской Федерации и статьи 31 и 151 Уголовно-процессуального кодекса Российской Федерации (Federal Law 100-FZ) (in Russian). State Duma. 1 April 2020. "Законодательство России. Поиск: Федеральный закон Дата принятия 01.04.2020 Номер начинается". Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Izvestiya
    (in Russian). 1 April 2020.
  7. ^ "В Петербурге возбудили первое уголовное дело за фейки о коронавирусе". Interfax (in Russian). 3 April 2020.
  8. ^ "В Москве вынесен первый приговор за фейк о коронавирусе". Interfax (in Russian). 16 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Human rights must be protected during COVID-19 pandemic". Amnesty International. 29 April 2020.
  10. ^ "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom". Freedom House. 1 October 2020.
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