Kremlin Allies Warn Against Law Punishing Access to Extremist Content

A rising number of pro-Kremlin individuals are voicing their objections to a proposed legislation that would introduce fines for accessing or searching for online content deemed «extremist» by Russian authorities.

This bill, which recently passed its first reading in the State Duma, aims to impose penalties of up to 5,000 rubles (approximately $64) on those who «knowingly» view or seek out prohibited content. However, it does not provide clarity on how such actions would be monitored, raising concerns among experts about the potential for enhanced surveillance and misuse by law enforcement.

Yekaterina Mizulina, the head of the Kremlin-supported Safe Internet League, expressed that the legislation might have unintended consequences for law enforcement, as well as individuals who back the Kremlin and assist in the suppression of dissent.

«We actively track this type of [“extremist”] content and share our findings with law enforcement as part of our mission,» Mizulina stated on Telegram.

«What’s particularly alarming is that under this proposed law, even officials from the Interior Ministry who are monitoring such content could technically be acting unlawfully. Furthermore, any private citizen who alerts law enforcement about, for instance, potential school shooters could also be subject to fines,» she continued.

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-funded RT news outlet, also criticized the proposed bill.

“Dear government, please explain how we are expected to conduct investigations and expose various extremist factions like FBK if we are prohibited from even researching them?” Simonyan wrote on Telegram, referring to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was banned in Russia in 2021.

“I hope there will be amendments,” she added.

Amnesty International, a London-based non-governmental organization, previously condemned the legislation as «ambiguous and excessively broad,» cautioning that it paves the way for arbitrary enforcement.

“Once again, the Russian government is masking its ongoing persecution of dissent as a fight against ‘extremism,’” stated Marie Struthers, Amnesty’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“In contemporary Russia, ‘extremist’ materials could encompass anything from literature advocating for same-sex relationships to social media posts by opposition groups,” Struthers noted.

On Thursday, the Kremlin chose not to comment on the controversy surrounding the proposed bill but acknowledged that the “issue has evidently provoked a significant public response.”

Currently, Moscow authorities maintain a list of approximately 5,500 “extremist” materials that are banned, which includes books, religious texts, songs, films, and other types of media.

Should lawmakers approve the bill and President Vladimir Putin endorse it, the new regulations would come into effect on September 1.