MOSCOW, February 04. /ITAR-TASS/. President Putin has signed a bill that hardens criminal punishment for extremist activities. The bill signed into law entails amendments to the Russian Criminal Code, according to an official Internet portal of legal information.

The amended law has tightened criminal punishment for public calls for extremist activity, inciting feud or hatred, infringement on human dignity for reasons of sex, racial, ethnic, language, religious or social differences and for the organization of an extremist community. The latter is punished by a fine worth from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles against 200,000 rubles charged earlier.

The amended law has increased a term of compulsory labor for a criminal offense from four to five years and lengthened a prison term for extremist activities from four to six years.

A maximum fine charged for the organization of the activity of an extremist organization has been increased from 300,000 to 500,000 rubles, and a maximum prison term has been lengthened to six years against three years the offenders had to serve earlier.

The punishment for participation in an extremist organization has been doubled from two to four years in prison.