Konstantin Tolkachev: "Amendments to Criminal Code will help to minimize "death groups" activities"

UFA, 26 July 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Galiya Nabieva/. The State Duma has toughened a responsibility for incitement to suicide, including through the Internet. The bill has already been approved by the Federation Council. It supposes punishment from five to 15 years of imprisonment depending on the consequences. At the same time, a new norm has been introduced, which sets forth the increased responsibility for the incitement to suicide, which resulted in a death of two or more minors, a pregnant woman or persons in material and other dependence on the perpetrator. Responsibility for such acts is now equated with responsibility for a murder.

"The promptness and almost absolute unanimity that the State Duma deputies showed during the consideration of this issue, in my opinion, was explained by activity of the so-called death groups. Unfortunately, this kind of destructive Internet activity every day claims the lives of our children and adolescents," the Chairman of the State Assembly of Bashkortostan Konstantin Tolkachev commented on the bill.

The Chairman of the republican parliament noted that for Bashkortostan the problem of juvenile suicides was also topical. The State Assembly has a working group on preventing and studying the causes and developing proposals for the prevention of violence against minors.

"We actively cooperate with law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, psychologists, guardianship authorities, and the parental community. The working group conducted a number of outreach preventive measures in the regions of the republic. The topic of Internet safety for children and adolescents was one of the main issues discussed in the framework of the Republican Parental Forum, which we held in June. It is important to prevent a tragedy", said Konstantin Tolkachev.