State Duma endorses amendments on fines for fakes about Russian state bodies up to 5 mln rubles, prison terms up to 15 years

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) - The State Duma on Tuesday passed amendments introducing liability for disseminating false information about the work of Russian state agencies abroad with fines of up to 5 million rubles, and the maximum term of imprisonment of up to 15 years.

Thus, according to the amendments, Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code is proposed to extend to "public dissemination of knowingly false information under the guise of reliable reports, which is aimed at discrediting the performance of the powers by Russian state bodies outside the Russian Federation."

A fine of 700,000 rubles to 1.5 million rubles or a prison term of up to three years will be imposed for this kind of offenses, which is similar to liability for fakes about the Russian Armed Forces.

The same offense committed with the abuse of power, or by a group of persons, or "by artificially producing prosecutorial evidence," or "for personal gain," or "for reasons of political, ideological, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred or enmity," is penalized by a fine of from 3 million to 5 million rubles or imprisonment from five to ten years.

If the aforementioned offenses resulted in grave consequences, they shall be punishable by ten to 15 years' imprisonment, the amendments said.