Administrative responsibility for “extremist” materials to be spelled out in Administrative Code

• 12.05.2009, 12:59

Such a norm is contained in the draft law “On amendments to some codes of the Republic of Belarus on criminal and administrative responsibility issues”.

It has been said to BelTA reporter by representatives of the Standing Commission on legislation and legal issues of the “chamber of representatives”.

“Deputies” are preparing amendments to adopt them in the first reading at the spring parliamentary session. According to the draft law, an article is added to the Administrative Code, which stipulates administrative responsibility for production, distribution and keeping of extremist materials, if there are no elements of a crime in these deeds. Such violations are fined from 10 to 50 basic units, and fro m50 to 100 basic units for an individual entrepreneur, and from 100 to 500 basic units for a legal entity.

Besides, the Administrative Code to be supplemented by an article concerning responsibility for propaganda, public demonstration, production and dissemination of Nazi symbols and paraphernalia. These actions are punishable by fines up to 10 basic units, up to 50 basic units for an individual entrepreneur and up to 200 basic units for a legal entity. Nazi symbols or paraphernalia means a flag, an anthem, a pendant, a tie, a badge of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (the Nazi party, or the NSDAP), or their copies. At the same time use of these symbols in films, the publishing and museums business, by theatre, circus and fine arts is not an administrative crime, the draft law specifies.