Bill banning display of images of WWII war criminals passes 1st reading in State Duma
MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax) - The State Duma endorsed the first reading of a bill banning the public display of images of war criminals of World War II at a session on Wednesday.
The document proposes equating to extremist activity and prohibiting the public image of persons recognized as war criminals by the verdict of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal and other national, military and occupation tribunals, as well as by courts during the Great Patriotic War.
In similarity to the ban on the demonstration of Nazi symbols, the authors propose making an exception for images in which there are no signs of propaganda or justification of Nazism and "a negative attitude toward the ideology of Nazism is formed."
Relevant amendments are proposed to be introduced into the laws on countering extremist activity and on perpetuating the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
The bill was submitted by a group of deputies led by Chairperson of the State Duma Culture Committee Yelena Yampolskaya, head of the State Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Vasily Piskaryov and State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy.