The United States has sharply criticized a new law passed by Russia, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years for publishing what the Kremlin calls “fake news”.
She said that this law – which was approved by the Russian parliament on Friday and later signed by President Vladimir Putin – undermines human rights and basic freedoms.
“We condemn the move by the Russian Federation Council to pass a law that threatens journalists with up to 15 years in prison,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement.
The new Russian law criminalizes any publication of an event that would discredit the country’s military.
The Kremlin said that Putin also signed another law that provides for penalties for those who demand the imposition of sanctions that restrict the rights of Russian citizens.
The West has already imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and many companies over the Russian attack on Ukraine.
According to the new law, those who arranged these punitive measures will be subject to a ban on entry to Russia, for example, and their financial and other assets will be confiscated, and they are also prohibited from doing business in Russia.
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