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State Duma committee upholds huge fines for LGBT propaganda ahead of bill’s second reading

In some cases, the activities of legal entities may be suspended for 90 days and foreign nationals may face a 15-day administrative arrest or be deported from the country

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Committee on State Building and Legislation on Monday recommended the chamber passes the second reading of a bill imposing major fines for the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia, suggesting that the document be expanded to include the propaganda of gender change.

The fines haven’t changed since the first reading of the bill. The document introduces fines of up to four mln rubles ($65,800) for LGBT propaganda among adults and fines of up to five mln rubles ($82,200) for such cases of propaganda among children. Fines for pedophilia propaganda shall be up to ten mln rubles ($164,500). In some cases, the activities of legal entities may be suspended for 90 days and foreign nationals may face a 15-day administrative arrest or be deported from the country.

Meanwhile, the Committee suggested that the State Duma reject amendments introducing administrative penalties for the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations in computer games, where fines could reach several thousand rubles for individuals and officials and five mln rubles for legal entities.

In addition, the Committee recommended that the State Duma reject any amendments criminalizing the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia. In particular, according to the amendments, repeated media and Internet propaganda shall be punishable by up to three years in prison, while pedophilia propaganda in the media would carry a sentence of up to five years behind bars.

In October, the State Duma passed the first reading of bills banning the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia in Russia and introducing administrative penalties for violators. The relevant committees are now preparing the documents for the second reading. The bill on administrative penalties for LGBT propaganda among children establishes a maximum fine of five mln rubles and proposes a maximum fine of up to four mln rubles for propaganda among adults. Those guilty of pedophilia propaganda may face fines up of to ten mln rubles.

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