No F**ks: Putin Bans All Profanity in Russian Art, Literature, and Films

Russian writers, journalists, and artists will soon be fined for using "obscene language."

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Vladimir Putin has signed a new censorship bill into law, and now artists and filmmakers in Russia may soon find themselves in trouble for using profanity in "literature and arts, mass media products, at concerts, theatrical performances, entertaining events, as well as in films."

The law is expected to take effect on July 1 and includes monetary fines and other punishments for various offenses, as well as new guidelines for the marking of audio and video goods with warning signs and sealed packages (like porn in airport shops or parental advisory stickers on CDs). The words included under the umbrella of "obscene language" are not specified, so all grey areas will be decided by a panel on a case-by-case basis. 

Russian journalist Oleg Kashintold the Guardian that profanity rarely appears in Russian media unless it is a citation, and added that "this new law won't change anything – it's more a symbolic thing to show the so-called imagined 'simple Russian people' that the creative classes can't live without swearing. It's a symbolic gesture to show that Putin and United Russia are protecting the people's traditions."

Good thing we aren't based in Russia...shit.

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[via Dazed]

 

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