You're reading: State Duma passes law toughening liability for calls for separatism in media

Moscow - The State Duma on Friday, July 4 passed in the second and third readings a bill toughening criminal liability for public calls for actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of Russia.

The bill, which was submitted by Senator Andrei Klishas, introduces new types of punishment in the form of up to three years of compulsory labor or four to six months of arrest for such calls. The document also increases the maximal prison term to four years (the current maximal prison term is three years), which also includes a ban on working in certain positions or engaging in certain activities for the same period.

The bill punishes the same actions committed with the use of the mass media or electronic or IT networks, including the Internet, by a ban on working in certain positions or engaging in certain activities for a period of up to three years.