ter Themselves as Mass Media Outlets’ ’’], September 28, 2004, http://www.gipp.ru/opennews.php
?id=3686.
55. As estimated by Rosokhrankultury. See Rosokhrankultury, ‘‘Intyernyet: Svobodniy i byez Ryegistratsii’’ [Internet: Free and Without Registration], March 3, 2008, http://www.finmarket.ru/z/
nws/hotnews.asp?id=794793. Quoting the increased rate of voluntary registration, Rosokhrankultury (the regulatory federal agency) reasons against the proposed bill because it is not prepared
to meet a large number of registrations. Rosokhrankultury, ‘‘Rossvyaz’ Ohrankool’ toori protiv
Ofitsial’noy Ryegistratsii Saytov kak SMI’’ [Rosokhrankultury Against the Official Registration Sites
as Media], March 12, 2008, http://www.rian.ru/society/20080312/101150561.html.
56. One such proposal was defeated in 2002, but the idea has resurfaced in a set of proposals
known as Kroshennikov’s amendments to existing laws.
57. Lenta.ru, ‘‘Genprokuratura Predlozhila Provaideram Razdelit’ Vinu s Ekstremistami’’ [Prosecutor’s Office Requested Providers to Share the Blame with Extremists], March 17, 2008, http://lenta
.ru/news/2008/03/17/provider1/.
58. Law on Mass Media, translation (without amendments) at http://www.medialaw.ru/e_pages/
laws/russian/massmedia_eng/massmedia_eng.html.
59. A moderator of Fontanka.ru took down comments threatening migrants in Russia, saved
them, and passed them on to authorities. Records traced the posts to an Internet cafe ´, where surveillance tapes made it possible to identify the poster. The poster was subsequently charged with
threatening murder or infliction of grave injury under Article 119 of the criminal code. The court
ruled that forum activity online is part of media activities and sentenced the poster to 18 months
in prison.
60. Regnum, sued by a large dairy producer for defamation, claims that the information they used
against the claimant was obtained from a regional authority for consumer protection, and thus
protection under the Mass Media Law should be applied. The exception under Article 57 states
that a mass media outlet should be absolved from liability when disseminating information that
‘‘does not conform to the reality and denigrates the honor and dignity of private citizens and
organizations,’’ in cases where inter alia the information was received from a public authority. As
the court rejected the defense statement, it upheld censorship over the Internet in practice,
according to the information outlet. Regnum, ‘‘Nasilstvennyi Zahvat Vlasti ili Nasilstvennoe Uderjanie Vlasti’’ [The Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia Instituted Review Proceedings on the Complaint Regnum], http://www.regnum.ru/news/933514.html.
61. A series of cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed were published in a Danish newspaper in late 2005. The cartoons were reprinted in several papers in early 2006, sparking riots
throughout the Muslim world protesting the visual representation of Mohammed.
62. Article 319, Russian Federation Criminal Code with latest amendments as of 2007, http://
www.rg.ru/2007/11/12/ukrf-dok.html (in Russian). English translation without amendments is
available at http://www.russian-criminal-code.com.
63. See the text of the law ‘‘O Protivodeystvii Eksstremistskoy Deyatelnosti’’ [Law against Extremist Activities], http://www.rg.ru/oficial/doc/federal_zak/114-fz.shtm.
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225
?id=3686.
55. As estimated by Rosokhrankultury. See Rosokhrankultury, ‘‘Intyernyet: Svobodniy i byez Ryegistratsii’’ [Internet: Free and Without Registration], March 3, 2008, http://www.finmarket.ru/z/
nws/hotnews.asp?id=794793. Quoting the increased rate of voluntary registration, Rosokhrankultury (the regulatory federal agency) reasons against the proposed bill because it is not prepared
to meet a large number of registrations. Rosokhrankultury, ‘‘Rossvyaz’ Ohrankool’ toori protiv
Ofitsial’noy Ryegistratsii Saytov kak SMI’’ [Rosokhrankultury Against the Official Registration Sites
as Media], March 12, 2008, http://www.rian.ru/society/20080312/101150561.html.
56. One such proposal was defeated in 2002, but the idea has resurfaced in a set of proposals
known as Kroshennikov’s amendments to existing laws.
57. Lenta.ru, ‘‘Genprokuratura Predlozhila Provaideram Razdelit’ Vinu s Ekstremistami’’ [Prosecutor’s Office Requested Providers to Share the Blame with Extremists], March 17, 2008, http://lenta
.ru/news/2008/03/17/provider1/.
58. Law on Mass Media, translation (without amendments) at http://www.medialaw.ru/e_pages/
laws/russian/massmedia_eng/massmedia_eng.html.
59. A moderator of Fontanka.ru took down comments threatening migrants in Russia, saved
them, and passed them on to authorities. Records traced the posts to an Internet cafe ´, where surveillance tapes made it possible to identify the poster. The poster was subsequently charged with
threatening murder or infliction of grave injury under Article 119 of the criminal code. The court
ruled that forum activity online is part of media activities and sentenced the poster to 18 months
in prison.
60. Regnum, sued by a large dairy producer for defamation, claims that the information they used
against the claimant was obtained from a regional authority for consumer protection, and thus
protection under the Mass Media Law should be applied. The exception under Article 57 states
that a mass media outlet should be absolved from liability when disseminating information that
‘‘does not conform to the reality and denigrates the honor and dignity of private citizens and
organizations,’’ in cases where inter alia the information was received from a public authority. As
the court rejected the defense statement, it upheld censorship over the Internet in practice,
according to the information outlet. Regnum, ‘‘Nasilstvennyi Zahvat Vlasti ili Nasilstvennoe Uderjanie Vlasti’’ [The Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia Instituted Review Proceedings on the Complaint Regnum], http://www.regnum.ru/news/933514.html.
61. A series of cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed were published in a Danish newspaper in late 2005. The cartoons were reprinted in several papers in early 2006, sparking riots
throughout the Muslim world protesting the visual representation of Mohammed.
62. Article 319, Russian Federation Criminal Code with latest amendments as of 2007, http://
www.rg.ru/2007/11/12/ukrf-dok.html (in Russian). English translation without amendments is
available at http://www.russian-criminal-code.com.
63. See the text of the law ‘‘O Protivodeystvii Eksstremistskoy Deyatelnosti’’ [Law against Extremist Activities], http://www.rg.ru/oficial/doc/federal_zak/114-fz.shtm.
Russia
225