俄羅斯通過法律遏制互聯網
Russia passes law curbing Internet
By Kathy Lally,
Published: July 12
The Washington Post
Translation by Autumnson Blog
米莎Japaridze/ AP - 2012年7月10日俄羅斯莫斯科的下議會室國家杜馬的議員在會議中。
MOSCOW — The Russian parliament passed a hastily introduced law Wednesday that allows the government to impose limits on the Internet, prompting fears that it could prove a first step toward censorship of a previously unbridled forum.
莫斯科 - 俄羅斯議會星期三通過一項倉卒推出的法律，允許政府實施對互聯網的限制，促使人們擔心它可能證明是第一步，對以前肆無忌憚的論壇加以審查。
The measure, presented as a way to protect children by eliminating Web sites devoted to child pornography, pedophilia, illegal drug use and suicide, won broad support in the State Duma, or lower house, where 441 of 450 members voted for it.
措施被介紹為一種保護兒童的方式，以消除致力於兒童色情製品、戀童癖、非法毒品使用和自殺的網站。國家杜馬或下議會贏得廣泛支持，450名成員中441人投贊成票。
Bloggers, media groups and human rights defenders opposed it, worried that it was not well thought out — it was introduced only last week — and could be loosely interpreted by the courts, which are seen as serving the interests of the authorities rather than observing the legal code.
博客、媒體組和人權維護者反對，擔心這並未思考週詳 - 只在上週才引入 - 及可能被法院鬆散解釋，它們被視為服務當局的利益，而不是觀察法律的規範。
Opposition groups, which have relied on the Internet to rally support, called it part of a broad assault on them. Last month, the Duma passed a law drastically raising fines for protesters who violate the rules for holding a demonstration. On Wednesday, it advanced a bill that would make slander a criminal offense, with a penalty of as much as the annual income of the offender. And it is expected to pass a law this week requiring nongovernmental organizations that do political work and get money from abroad to register as foreign agents.
“Many of us are now in danger,” said Oleg Kozyrev, an influential blogger. “I see this Internet law as part of a package of repressive laws directed at the opposition and human rights and civil rights activists.”
Under the new law, he said, a commenter could post a link to child pornography on a blogger’s page, for example, and the government would have the authority to close down the entire page. The page would remain closed while its owner attempted to prove he was not responsible for the illegal reference. “There is little hope that the courts or investigators will be objective,” Kozyrev said.
Elena Kolmanovskaya, editor in chief of Yandex, Russia’s largest search engine, said protection of children is as important as freedom of speech and access to information. But she said in an e-mailed statement that Yandex opposes the law, which requires creation of a blacklist of Internet sites.
“These amendments address very important issues and affect the interests of many parties: citizens, state and the Internet industry,” she said. “Decisions like this should not be made as hastily as it happened this time.”
The law is so broad that even vulgar language could be deemed an offense, said Alexander Morozov, a blogger and director of the Center for Media Research.
“Civic activists, journalists and politicians all have grounds to be nervous,” he said, observing that once authorities make their desires clear by charging someone, judges generally go along and find the defendant guilty. “It could be applied to all kinds of statements on the Web . And we do not have acquittals in our courts.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-passes-law-curbing-internet/2012/07/11/gJQAvkzPdW_story.html?wprss=rss_world
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