Russia's Federation Council endorses bills banning LGBT, pedophilia propaganda

MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) - Russia's Federation Council has endorsed a package of bills banning LGBT and pedophilia propaganda and the demonstration of LGBT information and information inciting teenagers to change their sex.

The new provisions will apply to the Internet, mass media, books, audio-visual services, cinematography and advertising.

The basic package bill broadens the list of information prohibited for dissemination among children: propaganda and demonstration of non-traditional sexual relationships and/or preferences and information that could incite children to change their sex. New formal elements of a crime will be defined to differentiate between the notions of demonstration and propaganda.

The bill mandates a paid subscription and additional technical features for protecting access to television and radio content which is banned for children, as well as the age rating of promotional material for such content.

In addition, the bill prohibits advertising content containing information that demonstrates non-traditional sexual relations or preferences.

Propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations or preferences, including the propaganda of pedophilia, would be banned among Russian citizens, both adults and minors.

In all, five laws would be affected: the law on information, information technologies, and information protection, the law on mass media, the law on protecting children from information which harms their health and development, the law on advertising, and the law on state support for Russian cinematography.

The State Duma also passed a bill amending the Code of Administrative Offenses.

LGBT propaganda would entail fines of between 50,000 - 400,000 rubles for individuals, 100,000 - 800,000 rubles for officials and 800,000 - 5,000,000 rubles or up to 90 days of suspended operation for legal entities.

The propaganda of pedophilia would entail fines of 200,000 - 800,000 rubles for individuals, 400,000 - 2,000,000 rubles for officials, and 1,000,000 - 10,000,000 rubles or up to 90 days of suspended operation for legal entities.

Fines for violating the ban on LGBT demonstration and information inciting sex change among adolescents: 50,000 - 200,000 rubles for individuals, 100,000 - 400,000 rubles for officials, and 800,000 - 4,000,000 rubles or up to 90 days of suspended operation for legal entities.

Sex change propaganda by means of the dissemination of information or public actions aimed at encouraging sex change or promoting information that arouses interest in sex change will become an offense.

Such offenses will be punishable with an administrative fine of 50,000 to 100,000 rubles for citizens, from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles for officials, and from 800.000 to 1 million rubles or administrative suspension of activity for up to 90 days for legal entities.

For foreign nationals and stateless persons, the penalty would be administrative expulsion from Russia.

The bill prohibits selling goods, including imported goods, which contain information subject to administrative or criminal liability.