On March 29, 2019, a new law took effect in Russia to punish those who express “disrespect toward the government on the Internet.” A fine for that offense was added to Russia’s existing list of administrative penalties for small-time disorderly conduct. The human rights group Agora compiled a report on the first 180 days of the new law’s enforcement (available in full in Russian here).
In that time, 45 cases on “insulting the government” have been opened, and the sum of the fines judges have assigned in those cases has reached 845,000 rubles ($13,009, though only $10,395 in fines have already taken effect). In more than half of all the cases reported (58 percent), the “insulting” speech in question was about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
How Russia’s law against insulting the government online has been enforced in its first half yearRead More
