Posted on 04/07/2014 6:26:48 PM PDT by goldstategop
Russian lawmakers approve bill making Holocaust denial illegal
Russian lawmakers approved a bill that would make Holocaust denial illegal.
The lower house of the Russian Parliament, or Duma, passed the measure Friday on its first reading, the Voice of Russia reported Monday, making it illegal to deny the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal and punishing the rehabilitation of Nazism. Those found guilty of the crime could be fined up to $8,300 or imprisoned up to three years. Public officials or media personalities would be fined nearly double or face up to five years in prison.
The bill also needs the approval of the Federation Council, or upper house. It was authored five years ago and resubmitted in February.
Rehabilitation of Nazism is not only a shot fired at the past and mocking millions of victims, the head of the Lower House Committee for Security, Irina Yarovaya, a main sponsor of the bill, said in Parliament. It is also a shot fired at the future, an instigation for new crimes against peace and security.
Now if only they’d do the same for those who think climate change is happening.
I’d rather hear them say it and kick their teeth. Russians are missing out on all the fun with this law.
Not sure how I feel about this. I usually do not favor any kind of speech restrictions unless children are involved. But if they are going to do this, they should make it a crime to deny other genocides like the Holodomor and the Armenian genocide.
Finally. If it wasn’t for those Ukrainian Nazis . . . .
Now if only they could pass a similar bill for denying the Katyn Massacre and the Holomodor.
What about CAGW?
America is the only country in the world that really has freedom of speech.
Had.
Identify the Holocaust denier in this picture and the guy who is enriching his uranium.
I’m usually not in favor of restricting freedom of speech. But hate speech is akin to shouting “fire” in a crowded theater and can also constitute a form of collective libel/slander. Both acts are already legally punishable. Your freedom ends where the rights of others begin. The question is in striking the right balance. Which of course is why this legislation took five years to move forward. But I think in this case, the court can decide if the defendant expressed a legitimate point of view or if his conduct was aimed at disturbing the social peace. This is an appropriate safeguard against official abuse of power in the name of fighting extremism and hatred.
And to balance that out, we also levy fines, terminations, reprimands, and prison sentences for manifesting that right.
Holocaust denial is just as foolish as pretending we didn’t land on the moon or that ObamaCare is good. Still, stupidity should not be against the law. Being a moron is punished by natural consequences, as Obama voters are now discovering, but it should not be the government’s concern.
And when ‘hate speech’ is defined as it is in the UK, where street preaching is now enough to arrest you? The problem I see with such restrictions is that they open the door to liberals later down the line.
Yes, but it’s by far the most extensive level of freedom of any country.
Their brand of communism killed far more than the Nazis. Do not take that as excusing the acts of the Nazis. Just pointing out that the Russians should shut the hell up about evil government or include Holodomor denial as a crime....
I particularly despise fascist bastards who express sympathy with criminalization of speech of any type. They are despicable pukes, every one.
Next thing you know criticizing Islam or Homosexuality will be “Hate Speech”, I don’t want to go down that road.
Besides, I want to know who the idiots are.
You’re joking, right?
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