Russia Cracks Down on Profanity in the Arts
Putin Signs Law to Restrict 'Foul Language' in Books, on Stage and in Film
Updated May 5, 2014 3:28 p.m. ET
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin
signed a law that restricts the use of profanity in the arts, the latest
move in a push to reinforce what the Kremlin calls traditional values
in Russia.
The legislation is the latest
in a flurry of bills tightening control over freedom of speech and the
Internet as well as toughening punishments for terrorism and extremism.
The
new law, which takes effect July 1, covers literature, theater, film
and recorded music. It was opposed by some theater personalities,
writers and performers, whose works will now have to be issued in
special packaging indicating that they include profanities.
The
law doesn't spell out specifically what constitutes "foul language" but
sets fines for its use in works of art ranging from 2,000 rubles ($56)
for individuals to as high as 100,000 rubles for legal entities. The law
also restricts the public showing of films containing swearing.
An expert panel may be called to determine if a word in question is profane in case of disputes.
Under
another law also signed Monday, bloggers with more than 3,000 daily
pages views will be subject to hefty fines for using profanities
beginning in August, when they will be effectively equated with media
outlets.
Mr. Putin signed a similar law
penalizing swearing in the media last year. News agency Rosbalt was
briefly shut down by a court decision for posting videos containing foul
language after the law had been enacted.
Russia
has a strong tradition of using swear words in works of art, which is
why leading Russian artists, including theater director and actor Oleg
Tabakov, call the law excessive. Its critics doubt that the law can be
properly enforced.
"I think that no one
will have any kinds of problems over this," Sergei Shnurov, the frontman
of Leningrad, Russia's most popular punk band, said in a recent
interview with the newspaper Argumenty I Fakty.
"The
future will tell. I've lived awhile and laws have been different during
this time, even money has changed, to my memory, four times. Well, now
they ban swearing, and tomorrow maybe they'll allow it again," he
said."I treat these things calmly."
Mr.
Shnurov, whose lyrics often consist almost solely of profanities, said
antigovernment protesters "are shouting about how laws aren't being
enforced. So why worry if they aren't being enforced?"
Russian
has an unusually rich and diverse vocabulary of curse words, some of
which were used in prominent works of literature as far back as the 19th
century.
No comments:
Post a Comment