Libel, that is, the deliberate dissemination of incorrect information defaming the honor, dignity, business reputation of an individual or legal entity, was excluded from the list of criminal offenses last year. This happened in the light of the general trend towards mitigation of punishment for offenses that do not belong to the category of grave and especially grave. For libel, only an administrative penalty in the form of a fine was imposed, and a very insignificant amount.
Practice has shown that the measure concerning defamation was taken in error. Now any slanderer could insult and denigrate anyone with practically impunity, including with the help of the media and the Internet. Therefore, defamation has recently been again recognized as a criminal offense. True, she is not punished with imprisonment, but she will have to pay large fines, the amount of which, depending on the severity of the offense, can reach 5 million rubles.
At the same time, amendments to the current legislation were approved regarding the creation of a register of prohibited Internet sites. According to these amendments, an automated information system will be created in Russia (a unified register of domain names, network addresses of sites that contain prohibited information). This responsibility will be assigned to a special authorized body of the Government of the Russian Federation. The formation and maintenance of this register will be carried out based on the results of Internet monitoring. Any organization registered on the territory of the Russian Federation and possessing the necessary technical capabilities can be involved in monitoring.
Currently, the law provides that this monitoring will be carried out in three main areas: the search for sites that promote child pornography, disseminate information about the acquisition or manufacture of drugs, and give instructions on how to commit suicide. But it is possible that the powers of the supervisory authority will be expanded, including for the possibility of bringing to justice those who spread defamation on the Internet.
In the meantime, a citizen or a legal entity who believes that the information disseminated in relation to him is false, libelous, damaging his honor, dignity and business reputation, it remains to file a complaint with the magistrate's court. Such cases are considered by the court at the location of the defendant.
