The MPs passed amendments to the Administrative Offences Code in the first reading Tuesday, the lower house's press service said.
Amendments include administrative penalties for distribution and display of materials promoting participation in armed conflicts or military operations on the territory of a foreign state or on its side.
The amendments have also proposed penalties for disseminating materials by an individual in the media and online that promote an offense committed by himself. This is reportedly expected to prevent the popularization and imitation of offenses.
As the MPs noted, these provisions were aimed at strengthening a safe environment in society, preventing the emergence of new types of offenses, and eliminating factors negatively impacting the public, including young people.
"Based on on-site investigations, graffiti and leaflets promoting Telegram channels promising jobs abroad or large sums of money have been discovered in multi-story buildings, on streetlight poles, and other public places." "The links lure users into participating in military operations abroad or drug trafficking," said Khushvakt Khaitov, an MP from the Liberal Democratic Party.
He added that demonstrating the process of committing offenses on social media leads to imitation by others, which in turn increases disrespect for the law and aggressive attitudes, especially among young people.
"It should be specifically noted that the draft amendments did not provide for penalties for collecting likes or increasing the number of followers online. Penalties are established specifically for disseminating online offenses committed by the individual themselves. The ban does not apply to artistic or humorous videos that depict offenses not committed in real life," Khushvakt Khaitov specified.
