Formation of 35,000 Legal Cases in Russia Due to Comments on Social Media

According to media estimates, in recent years, about 35,000 cases have been examined in the Russian judicial system due to comments made on social media. In these cases, at least one thousand people have been accused of committing criminal offenses. According to the newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta-Europe', the number of legal cases related to social media activities increased by 43% last year and by 57% this year compared to the years before the war. The report states that a fascist supporter who publishes a swastika image on social media and a user who writes 'no to war' in a post are considered equally guilty by the Russian government. The initiation of legal proceedings due to internet activities in Russia dates back about ten years. At that time, terrorism, extreme nationalism, and drug propaganda were mainly the focus of security agencies. Among 11 people summoned to court between 2010 and 2013 for internet activities, 3 had symbols such as swastikas on their accounts, and 11 published writings deemed to contain extreme nationalism by the court. However, in 2013, the Russian Duma passed the 'Law on Combating Offending Religious Feelings'. That same year, 48 people were found guilty due to photos and writings that the court deemed violations of this law. Since 2015, when Russia entered the war in Syria, materials identified as 'supporting ISIS and Islamic extremism' have led to the conviction of over 1,700 people. Among these, 177 were supporters of the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization—mainly Tatars opposing the Russian government in occupied Crimea—and 20 were sentenced to long-term imprisonment for terrorism and extremism. Since 2016, Alexei Navalny, who was then the most prominent opposition figure in Russia, has repeatedly been fined for internet activities, and at least 340 of his supporters have also been summoned to court for their online activities. However, the widespread crackdown coincided with the start of the war against Ukraine, and punishments for social media users have increased unprecedentedly. As any street protest is banned in Russia, government opponents are seeking to express themselves online, but even there they are not safe, as any photo or writing criticizing the government and condemning the war may lead the owner of that post to court. 'Novaya Gazeta' has recently found that Russian security agents can identify users on social media platforms Telegram and VK (VKontakte), which are the most popular social networks in Russia. To this end, a bot known as 'God's Eye' has been launched. Besides digital tools, physical searches, searches and seizures in the streets, homes, or airports, complaints and informants, or leaks of personal data on the internet can lead to the formation of a legal case related to online activities. According to 'Novaya Gazeta-Europe', since 2014, when Pavel Durov, the founder of 'VKontakte', was forced to sell this social network due to his refusal to hand over users' personal data to the Russian security service, security agents have become aware of the identities of users on this network. Social media platforms X, Facebook, and Instagram are blocked in Russia, and the Meta company has been declared an extremist organization. According to estimates by 'Novaya Gazeta-Europe', over the past 24 years, 12,000 people have been fined for publishing a photo, and 140 have been sentenced to prison. The publication of a protest writing has led to fines for 10,000 people and imprisonment for 695. The publication of a protest video resulted in fines for 6,000 people and imprisonment for 288. 3,000 people have been fined for commenting on social media, and 304 have been sentenced to prison for the same reason. 323 people have been fined for reposting a post on social media. Over 2,000 people have fallen into the Russian judicial system due to personal writings on social media. Currently, the minimum penalty for social activities is a fine of 13,000 rubles (approximately $120). However, this amount is constantly increasing; for example, last week a Moscow university student was fined half a million rubles (about $5,000) for images containing a rainbow flag. According to estimates by 'Novaya Gazeta-Europe', the most common punishment for crimes related to internet activities this year has been a one-week detention in custody. 'Novaya Gazeta' was the most important opposition newspaper in Russia for over thirty years, and three years ago, Dmitry Muratov, its editor-in-chief, won the Nobel Peace Prize. A year later, coinciding with the start of the war against Ukraine, the publication of 'Novaya Gazeta' was banned in Russia, and now this media outlet operates under the name 'Novaya Gazeta-Europe' based in Latvia. While in 2010, five laws in Russia managed freedom of expression on the internet, internet activities are now restricted by 25 laws. Recently, support for the 'LGBT movement' and the 'voluntary childlessness movement' has been added to the list of criminal offenses.