VIOLATION OF CENSORSHIP PROHIBITION RULE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: RESPONSIBILITY ISSUES
Liability for censorship is stipulated by article 58 of the Act of the Russian Federation “On Mass Media” and is determined as a form of restriction on the freedom of mass information. However, the Criminal Code and Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation lack the norms stipulating liability for censorship. The legislation regulating the activities of the government civil servants does not contain a directly stated prohibition of the actions aimed at censorship or interference into independence of editorial offices of the mass media, which narrows down the potentialities of measures of disciplinary responsibility. To fill the lacuna in the scope of ascertaining administrative responsibility for the violation of the freedom of mass media, the author suggests revising article 13.16 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation to introduce the basic forms of impeding legal activities of founders, editorial offices, journalists, publishers and distributers of mass media.