Putin signs new law to ban profanity in the arts

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning the use of profanity in the arts, with regular transgressors facing fines of up to 200,000 roubles ($5,600) or a three-month jail sentence. The law, which will come into effect on 1 July, will see a range of fines introduced for the “public performance of literary, artistic or folk art containing obscenities”, according to a document on the government’s official website.

The document clearly defines the penalties incurred should the law be broken but fails to provide an explanation of what defines “foul language”, asserting that the use of words and expressions which “do not meet the standards of literary Russian” will be subject to independent examination and fines. The law covers literature, theatre, film and music and also introduces requirements for manufacturers to place warnings of “obscene language” on audio and visual products, and books, with some items to be sold in sealed packages.

Fines for breaking the new law will vary from between 2000 to 2500 rubles ($56-$70) for individual citizens, 4000 to 5000 rubles ($112-$140) for officials and 40,000 to 50,000 ($1,122-$1,400) for legal entities, with those who repeatedly violate the law subject to a fine between 100,000 and 200,000 rubles ($2,800 – $5,600) or three month imprisonment.

The new legislation adds to the increasing crackdown on independent media and free speech in Russia in recent months. A separate law enacted last month stipulates that from August onwards, bloggers with more than 3,000 daily page views will face fines for using swearwords. Putin signed a similar law banning the use of profanity in the media last year.