Fines for LGBT propaganda to be from 50,000 to 200,000 rubles
Interfax (31.08.2022) – https://bit.ly/3B82TGL – Fines for the propaganda of non-traditional relations will be from 50,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for citizens, Russian State Duma Information Policy Committee head Alexander Khinshtein, the author of the relevant bill, said.
The draft law changes Article 6.21 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses by envisaging “the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations or preferences expressed in the dissemination of information aimed at forming non-traditional sexual preferences, the attractiveness of non-traditional sexual relations or preferences, a distorted idea of the social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations or preferences, or forcing information on non-traditional sexual relations or preferences that arouses interest in such relations.”
Under the draft law, which Khinshtein published on his Telegram channel, the document envisages administrative fines for such offenses in an amount of 50,000 rubles to 100,000 rubles for citizens, 100,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for officials, and 800,000 rubles to one million rubles for legal entities.
If these violations are committed using mass media or the Internet, the fine will be 100,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for citizens, 200,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for officials, and one million rubles to four million rubles for legal entities.
If the said violations were committed among minors, the fine will be 100,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for citizens, 200,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for officials, and one million rubles to two million rubles for legal entities.
If these offenses were committed using mass media or the Internet, the fine will be 200,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for citizens, 400,000 rubles to 800,000 rubles for officials, and two million rubles to five million rubles for legal entities.
The bill also includes new articles, 6.21(1) and 6.21(2), in the Code of Administrative Offenses.
The first of them envisages liability for the propaganda of pedophilia expressed in “dissemination of information aimed at forming the attractiveness of pedophilia or forcing information on pedophilia causing interest in pedophilia.” Such offenses may be punishable by a fine in an amount of 200,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for citizens, 400,000 rubles to 800,000 rubles for officials, and one million rubles to four million rubles for legal entities.
Harsher punishment is envisaged if such offenses are committed using mass media or the Internet. In that case, the fine will be 400,000 rubles to 800,000 rubles for citizens, 800,000 rubles to two million rubles for officials, and four million rubles to ten million rubles for legal entities.
New Article 6.21(2) envisages liability for dissemination among minors of information “demonstrating non-traditional sexual relations or preferences, including description, images of non-traditional sexual relations or preferences.” In that case, a fine is envisaged in an amount of 50,000 rubles to 100,000 rubles for citizens, 100,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for officials, and 800,000 rubles to one million rubles for legal entities.
Harsher punishment is also envisaged if such offenses are committed using mass media or the Internet. In that case, the fine will be 100,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles for citizens, 200,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for officials, and one million rubles to four million rubles for legal entities.
If all of the said offenses are committed by foreigners or stateless persons, they will be given the same fines as Russian citizens, but with expulsion from Russia or administrative arrest for 15 days and also expulsion.
Khinshtein said earlier on Wednesday that he had sent a bill on administrative liability for the propaganda of pedophilia and LGBT to the Russian government for review.
He said such liability is now envisaged only for the propaganda of LGBT among children. “We and our colleagues in the IT Committee want to apply it to any propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, regardless of age,” the parliamentarian said.
He also said the committee is completing the work on an earlier announced bill, which makes corresponding changes to some laws and imposes a ban on the dissemination of such information offline and online.
The committee will be ready to hold a public debate of these initiatives after the start of the fall session of the State Duma, Khinshtein said.
State Duma Deputy Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin earlier spoke about the plans to organize a public debate on these bills and consider them in the fall session. “Bearing in mind the stated position of most factions, there is confidence that the bills banning the propaganda of non-traditional values and introducing liability for its dissemination will be adopted,” Volodin told reporters.
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