Libel is the spread of knowingly false information that discredits the honor, dignity or business reputation of a person. Over the past few years, due to the tendency to mitigate penalties for offenses that are not particularly serious, libel has ceased to be considered a criminal offense.
Previously, only administrative liability in the form of a fine could come for libel, and its size was very insignificant. This was often used by unscrupulous journalists, bloggers, all kinds of gossips, who, either out of selfish motives, or to please a rich imagination, spread the most ridiculous and offensive rumors, accusations about people, without bothering to check information and evidence.
Now the State Duma of the Russian Federation has adopted a law on the return of the article on libel to the Criminal Code. Initially, as a punishment, along with fines and community service, even imprisonment for up to 3 years was provided. But in the end, they decided to abandon this measure. Now the maximum possible punishment for libel is a fine of up to 5 million rubles. Of course, this upper limit will only be used in the most severe cases.
According to the adopted law, the spread of deliberately false rumors that tarnish the honor, dignity and business reputation of a person will be punished with a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles. If such slander was expressed in the presence of outsiders (that is, during a public speech) or with the help of a media body, then the amount of the fine may be increased to 1 million rubles. Well, in the event that the slanderer used his official position, the fine may increase up to 2 million rubles.
Some forms of defamation are even more severely assessed. For example, about a person deliberately spread false information that he allegedly suffers from a dangerous infectious disease. Or he was knowingly falsely accused of a sex crime. Naturally, because of this, he will have many problems both at work and in his personal life. It is easy to imagine what kind of moral damage and a threat to health it is. Therefore, the fine for such libel is very large - up to 3 million rubles. Well, if the slanderer groundlessly accused a person of committing a crime that is classified as especially serious, the fine will rise to 5 million rubles.
The law also provides for penalties for defamation against a judge, juror, investigator or bailiff when considering a case in court, or conducting a preliminary investigation, or executing a judicial act. Depending on the severity of the libel, the amount of the fine will be from 1 million to 2 million rubles.
