MOSCOW. March 17 (Interfax) - The Russian State Duma's Security and Anti-Corruption Committee will introduce a bill on extrajudicial proceedings in regard to knowingly false reports of terror attacks in Russia and the channels sending such reports, Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Chairman Vasily Piskaryov said.
"We're introducing an initiative concerning the prompt extrajudicial blocking of all information about false bomb threats. This would be done via prosecutors - the Prosecutor General's Office would turn to [telecoms regulator] Roskomnadzor, and this will instantly block traffic from which such communications, such messages, are coming," Piskaryov told journalists in the Duma on Tuesday.
False reports of terrorist attacks come from several countries: Germany, France, the United States, Belgium, Holland, and Japan, Piskaryov said. Over the past few years, Russia has recorded 16,000 such reports, including about 50,000 false bomb threats, prompting the evacuation of about 1.5 million people, he said.
Very soon the bill will be introduced and considered by the State Duma, Piskaryov said.
"It's important for them to destabilize the country, so that there's this state of fear. This is unacceptable, of course; we must protect our people," he said.
Other countries will continue their attempts to meddle in Russian affairs, given the upcoming parliamentary elections, not the least through false messages about terror plots, Piskaryov said.
"Foreign dark forces will not leave us [in peace]. I'm sure that this interference will continue, and [meddling] activity during the elections will be high, to get in the way, to bring in this complicated problem: hoax bomb threats, children lured into unsanctioned rallies, all this will be continued, and we must be prepared for this and respond adequately, adequately to the threat," he said.
Russia already has laws allowing websites to be blocked without a court order, via the Prosecutor General's Office. Under the Information law, the Prosecutor General or his deputies may initiate the blocking of indecent information which insults human dignity, public morals, or shows clear disrespect for society, the state authorities, or national symbols.
Then in late December 2020, a controversial law was passed banning online censorship and allowing the Prosecutor General's Office, upon agreement with the Foreign Ministry, to launch the process of blocking web resources and restricting information in Russian territory for a variety of reasons, including the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions.
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) was also given powers to initiate the extrajudicial blocking of online information. On March 9, the president signed a law allowing the CEC to ask telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor to block illegal campaigning on the internet.
Social media sites also must self-censor (in consultation with Roskomnadzor, if necessary), under a social media law passed in December 2020.
Meanwhile, still in the Duma portfolio of draft legislation is a United Russia bill proposing to introduce the extrajudicial blocking of defamation on the internet.