www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/181228a.html
VLADIMIR PUTIN PARTIALLY DECRIMINALIZES ARTICLE ON EXTREMISM
Kommersant, 28 December 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill partially decriminalizing article 282 of the Criminal Code of Russia (arousing hatred or enmity along with demeaning human dignity). The corresponding document was published on the internet portal of legal information.
The new version of the article introduces a clarification according to which actions will be recognized to be punishable criminally only if they were committed by a person after being held administratively accountable for a similar violation of law within a year's time. The Russian president introduced the draft law into the State Duma in October. The State Duma adopted the law on third reading on 19 December. The Federation Council approved the initiative on 21 December.
We recall that previously the Russian Supreme Court explained that it does not consider an extremist publication on the internet to be a crime, if it does not pose a danger for society. Judges were required to prove intent, the nature, and the degree of pubic danger in each one of the cases. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 December 2018)