Lawmakers give preliminary backing to a law that, if passed, would prohibit the promotion of same-sex relations and pedophilia
© Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP
Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has given preliminary approval to a bill aimed at countering ‘LGBT propaganda.’ If passed, the law would introduce hefty fines for disseminating such material or justifying pedophilia.
On Thursday, members of the Duma unanimously backed the bill, which is widely seen as a follow-up to a law passed in 2013, which prohibits the spread of ‘LGBT propaganda’ among those under 18. The new law would apply to the media, internet, literature, ‘audio-visual services,’ films, and advertisements.
Breaching the new regulations would cost up to 400,000 rubles ($6,500) for individuals and up to 5 million rubles ($81,500) for legal entities. On top of that, foreign offenders would be expelled from Russia.
Separate sections of the bill call for hefty fines for those promoting and “justifying” pedophilia as well as disseminating information that could encourage underage Russians to change their sex.
Commenting on the proposed law, Vyacheslav Volodin, the chair of the State Duma, said that “there is still work to be done before the second hearing,” suggesting that the penalties may be even higher.
“We should do our best to protect our children, those who want to lead a normal life,” he argued.
Alexander Khinshtein, the chair of the Duma’s committee on information policy, clarified that the lawmakers were not seeking to outlaw LGBT, but rather “make sure there is no propaganda.”
According to Khinshtein, the proposed legislation is further proof of Russia’s “civilizational confrontation with the West.” The lawmaker concluded that the new rules are needed to protect Russia’s health and demography.
