Putin Criminalizes ‘Fake’ News Coverage, Blocks Facebook And Twitter To ‘Protect The Truth’
Vyacheslav Volodin, a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin and the lower house of Russian parliament announced Friday that Putin “will force those who lied and made statements discrediting our armed forces to bear very grave punishment.”
He added, “I want everyone to understand, and for society to understand, that we are doing this to protect our soldiers and officers, and to protect the truth.”
The law will imprison anyone guilty for up to three years and could impose fines upon individuals that spread false statements about the Russian military. Offenders that could create “severe consequences” to Russia’s military endeavors could face 15 years.
Media giants Facebook and Twitter were blocked in Russia once the law was signed into effect. Multiple mainstream media outlets have announced their intentions to stop broadcasting in Russia. CNN and CBS News said they would end their broadcasting in Russia and the BBC also announced a temporary suspension of work there.
CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia, the news channel said on Friday, after the introduction of a new law there that could jail anyone for intentionally spreading "fake" news.https://t.co/CU7GrU8soN
— Newsmax (@newsmax) March 4, 2022
Volodin said this on the law: “I want everyone to understand, and for society to understand, that we are doing this to protect our soldiers and officers, and to protect the truth.”
The Russian prosecutor general’s office said Facebook’s restrictions and censorship of Russian state-owned media institutions such as RT News violate the Russian law and were grounds for Facebook being banned across the country.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement, “We condemn the move by the Russian Federation Council to approve a law threatening prison sentences of up to 15 years for journalists.”
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