Lawmakers in the parliamentary Duma, pictured, passed a bill Friday that seeks to quell independent media reports and bar them from describing Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine as a "war" or "invasion."
File Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE
March 4 (UPI) -- Russian lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that targets journalists and criminalizes any reports that the government considers to be false news about the fighting in Ukraine.
The bill passed by lawmakers in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, says that reporters can face as many as 10 years in prison for giving out false information -- and 15 years if the offense has "grave consequences."
The proposal would prohibit describing the Russian campaign as an "invasion" or "war," and encourages reporters to call it "a special military operation."
Damage is seen to a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 28 after it was hit by Russian artillery. Photo by Ukraine State Emergency Press Service via EPA-EFE
The bill says part of the reason for the proposal is that Ukrainian media are using footage from fighting in the Donbas region several years ago and presenting it as evidence of war crimes against Russia for its current military campaign.
March 4 (UPI) -- Russian lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that targets journalists and criminalizes any reports that the government considers to be false news about the fighting in Ukraine.
The bill passed by lawmakers in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, says that reporters can face as many as 10 years in prison for giving out false information -- and 15 years if the offense has "grave consequences."
The proposal would prohibit describing the Russian campaign as an "invasion" or "war," and encourages reporters to call it "a special military operation."
Damage is seen to a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on February 28 after it was hit by Russian artillery. Photo by Ukraine State Emergency Press Service via EPA-EFE
The bill says part of the reason for the proposal is that Ukrainian media are using footage from fighting in the Donbas region several years ago and presenting it as evidence of war crimes against Russia for its current military campaign.
Lawmakers say the reports are creating a negative image of Russia as a "bloody aggressor" and whipping up "panic in society."
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The Committee To Protect Journalists said in a statement on Thursday that the Russian law is an "obvious threat to free speech and the independent press."
The bill now goes to the upper house and, if passed, will be enacted by President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has been cracking down on independent media, and Russian media are being ordered to publish only information from official government sources.
The bill now goes to the upper house and, if passed, will be enacted by President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has been cracking down on independent media, and Russian media are being ordered to publish only information from official government sources.
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