site.btaBulgarian Journalists, Citizens Threatened by Russia's Military Censorship Legislation

Bulgarian journalists and citizens are also threatened by the new Russian legislation, which is implementing military censorship, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) - Bulgaria said here on Monday.  

Amendments to the Penal Code, adopted by the Russian Duma and promulgated by President Vladimir Putin, envisage imprisonment of up to 15 years for incorrect information related to the actions of the Russian Armed Forces protecting the interests of the Russian Federation. The Russian authorities will judge the accuracy of information. According to the amendments, if the circulated information has led to serious consequences, those found guilty will face a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 15 years in prison. Otherwise, the court may impose a fine of 700,000 to 1.5 million rubles or up to three years of forced labour. 

All foreign nationals on Russian territory are also threatened by the new legislation. The provisions are too broad to determine exactly how they will be enforced by the Russian authorities. Every journalist reporting from Russia, who does not use only the Kremlin as their source, can be prosecuted. Analysts are not unanimous whether journalists would be sanctioned if they report on anti-war protests organized in Russian towns and cities. 

AEJ-Bulgaria condemns the media blackout in Russia, culminating in censorship legislation, the halt of some of the last remaining independent Russian media and restricting the access to social media such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. AEJ-Bulgaria calls on all Bulgarian media and journalists reporting from Russia to take the necessary measures in order to avoid becoming the subject of repressions.  

AEJ-Bulgaria appeals to the Foreign Ministry to request clarifications from the Russian Embassy regarding the legislative changes and to issue an adequate warning to all Bulgarian journalists and citizens.