Anti-fake law

Russia Explained

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First steps

In 2019, the Russian president signed two vaguely worded anti-fake laws. They prohibited the spread of socially significant information deemed unreliable by the state authorities.

In 2020, the anti-fake legislation was extended due to COVID-19. According to lawmakers, they aimed to make illegal any doubts about the nature of COVID-19 and the reasonableness of combating the pandemic. In fact, the law has been selectively applied to journalists and activists for revealing problems and criticising measures provided by Russian authorities.

War censorship

In March 2022, the new extension of the Russian anti-fake law introduced criminal liability for spreading “knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation” with a maximum punishment of 15 years imprisonment.

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The decision on what can be qualified as “false information” is up to Russian authorities. It may include any reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that contradicts the information officially given by the Kremlin. For example, reporting on the number of military casualties suffered by Russian armed forces or allegations of war crimes by the military.

This law, along with other measures, forced many Russian media to stop covering war-related events. Some foreign news agencies and independent media stopped their activities in Russia, and many journalists left the country to be able to continue their work.

By the end of September 2022, this law’s enforcement had resulted in more than 100 criminal cases.

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Notre posture vis-à-vis de la guerre en Ukraine

La Russie a lancé la guerre contre l’Ukraine. Cette guerre est en cours depuis 2014. Le 24 février 2022, elle n’a fait que gagner en intensité. Des millions d’Ukrainiens souffrent. Les responsables doivent être jugés pour leurs crimes.

Le régime russe essaie de faire taire les voix libérales. Il existe des Russes opposés à la guerre, et le régime fait de son mieux pour les réduire au silence. Nous voulons empêcher cela et faire entendre ces voix.

Il est essentiel de créer du lien. Les initiatives libérales russes sont parfois difficiles à saisir pour le public européen. Le contexte juridique, social et historique en Russie n’est pas toujours clair. Nous voulons diffuser des informations, construire des ponts et connecter la Russie libérale à l’Occident.

**Nous croyons au dialogue, non à l’isolation. ** Les forces d’opposition en Russie ne seront pas en mesure de changer quoi que ce soit sans le soutien du monde démocratique. Nous croyons aussi que le dialogue devrait aller dans les deux sens.

Cela reste votre décision. Nous comprenons la colère suscitée par les crimes russes. C’est à vous de décider si vous voulez entendre ou non les Russes de l’opposition.