The State Duma has approved, in three readings, a bill introducing fines for disclosing state secrets in the media.

The State Duma has passed in its second reading a bill introducing fines for individuals and officials for disclosing state secrets or other legally protected confidential information in the media, provided their actions do not constitute a criminal offence. This follows from the lower house of the Russian parliament’s legislative database.

The amendments are planned for the article on abuse of freedom of mass information (Article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The fine for individuals will range from 20,000 to 30,000 roubles (US$225–340), and for officials from 50,000 to 100,000 roubles (US$560–1,120).

Currently, such liability in the legislation exists only for legal entities. The maximum fine for them reaches one million roubles (about US$11,200).

The bill originally proposed clarifying in which instances military personnel could be held administratively liable. It was submitted to the State Duma at the end of April this year and passed its first reading at the end of June. Amendments introducing fines for disclosing state secrets were added for the second reading.

19:36 The bill introducing fines for disclosing state secrets in the media has passed its third reading, according to the State Duma’s legislative database. Today it was sent to the Federation Council.