Khinshtein spoke about the fines for reposting Meduza materials

Alexander Khinshtein, head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, said that Russians would be fined for reposting Meduza materials (published by recognized undesirable today, January 26, earlier the Ministry of Justice recognized him as a foreign agent) if they were made after the publication was given the status of undesirable. Those who reposted publication materials before January 26 will also be fined if they refuse to remove them after receiving a warning from Roskomnadzor.

“Yes, indeed, now all Meduza materials are materials of an undesirable organization, which means that their distribution is prohibited, regardless of the period of publication. But this does not mean that everyone who previously shared these materials automatically falls under fines, ”Mr. Khinshtein wrote in Telegram.

“The law says that penalties may be imposed for failure to remove or untimely removal of such prohibited information in response to an earlier request from Roskomnadzor,” Mr. Khinshtein added. Criminal liability also threatens those who provide financial support to an undesirable organization.

Meduza was declared undesirable on January 26. In July 2022, the founder of Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin wrote complaint to Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov and asked to recognize the publication as undesirable. In his opinion, the work of Meduza “has a negative impact on the country’s defense capability.” The publication was recognized as a foreign agent in April 2021.

Anastasia Larina