The Russian Supreme Court has approved a draft bill introducing criminal punishment for insulting the country?€™s national anthem, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday, citing the press service of Vadim Tyulpanov, one of the bill?€™s authors.
According to the bill, insulting the Russian anthem should be equated to insulting the national coat of arms or the flag ?€” both already protected by the law as Russian state symbols.
The maximum penalty for citizens for insulting the anthem is 3,000 rubles ($45), while those who insult the other state symbols may face up to year in prison, the bill?€™s authors said, adding that the same penalty should be introduced for abusing the anthem.
The bill?€™s explanatory note points out that the suggested penalty should be added to Russian Criminal Code in order to avoid a repeat of an incident that occurred in the Crimean city of Sevastopol last month, when the national anthem?€™s lyrics were distorted during a public event.