The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has enacted on Monday the laws that prohibit LGTBI «propaganda» and toughen the punishments with measures that extend beyond the scope of minors, oblivious to the criticism of organizations defending Human Rights.
The reform package, which has reached Putin’s desk after passing through both houses of Parliament, includes measures to crack down on any content considered contrary to conservative values on the Internet, media, books, films and advertisements, according to the Interfax news agency.
The authorities, who claim that the reform is justified by the need to combat scourges such as pedophilia, have expanded the list of information whose dissemination becomes prohibited, such as «propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations or information that may induce minors to request a sex change».
In addition, the fines for disseminating this type of information can amount to 400,000 rubles (about 6,400 euros) in the case of ordinary citizens, or 800,000 rubles in the case of civil servants. In the case of entities, the penalty rises to 5 million (more than 79,000 euros).
