On the website of the government ended the discussion of the draft amendments of the Ministry of Communications to the law «On mass media». They can reduce the level of jurisdiction of cases of termination of the media, and those convicted of crimes against the state and society — to deprive the right of establishment media. Experts called the amendment discriminatory.
Ministry of Communications Amendments to the law «On mass media» address many aspects of media, and above all how to create them. Now the founders of the media can not be serving time in prison, minors and the mentally ill, whose incapacity acknowledged the court (Article 7). Communications Ministry proposes to extend the ban on the creation of the media on those who have «been convicted for crimes against public security and crimes against the constitutional order and state security.» In the Ministry of Communications said that after discussing the project still has to go through coordination with other agencies.
At the same time, the amendments may facilitate the closure of media outlets of regional significance. Now the case of termination of the media, according to Art. 26 of the Civil Procedure Code shall be considered at the level of the higher courts of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Ministry of Communications has deleted this provision.
Another innovation for the new edition of one of the key articles of the law «On mass media» — art. 4 which speaks about the inadmissibility of abuse of freedom of mass media. Office decided to change one of the statements, securing a ban on propaganda is not a «cult of violence and cruelty,» as they say in the law right now, and the «violence and cruelty» in principle.
Some amendments will affect online publications, the specificity of which are still not fully accounted for in the law. Communications Ministry proposes to introduce a special rule published online media output. They will need to specify the name of the founders, the name of the editor, if necessary — age restrictions, as well as e-mail address, telephone number and facsimile edition. For newspapers does not require this. In this case, the Ministry of Communications has set them free and compulsory indication of the signing of the issue went to press, the newspaper «Kommersant».
Anatoly Filatov, according to the newspaper «Kommersant»