STOP EXTREMISM!

Recently, the word "extremism" has been heard more and more often in the media and in our speech. This term denotes adherence to extreme and radical views and methods of action. Extremism has various forms, including incitement to riots, civil disobedience, and terrorist acts. Informational support in the form of certain symbols and attributes, printed, audio, and audiovisual materials, and other advertising products intended for public display, use, and distribution to involve the population in extremist activities and their propaganda is very important for it. And we, ordinary citizens, often become accomplices of extremists with our thoughtless actions.

The Miory District Department of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, is carrying out serious work to identify individuals involved in the distribution, production, storage, and transportation of information products containing calls for extremist activities or promoting it. – For the current period of this year alone, 27 residents of our district have been brought to administrative responsibility under Art. 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus for distributing information from recognized extremist Telegram channels and other sources on the internet, in Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram messengers, or storing this information for the purpose of distribution. I want to clarify that reposts made by social media users on their pages and likes under such posts fall under administrative responsibility. It also occurs if a citizen provides some information for publication on an extremist channel, as in this situation, they are actually participating in the production of extremist products.

What punishment awaits supporters of extremism? – Distribution of information products containing calls for extremist activities or promoting it, as well as the production, storage, or transportation for the purpose of distributing such products, entail a fine of up to 20 basic units for an individual, an individual entrepreneur will have to pay from 20 to 50 BU for this, a legal entity – from 50 to 200. A fine for distributing information products included in the republican list of extremist materials (it can be found on the website of the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus miniform.gov.by), as well as the production, publication, storage, or transportation for the purpose of its distribution: for an individual – from 10 to 30 BU, for an individual entrepreneur – from 50 to 100, for a legal entity – from 100 to 500 BU. The amounts are considerable, they make one think whether it is worth breaking the law.