What you can be punished for online: a map of offences
The guides below are drafts: a lawyer has not reviewed them yet. This is not legal advice.
How to read this map
- administrative vs criminal liability
- 'administrative prejudice': a repeat after a fine becomes a criminal case; a person is 'considered punished' from the decision until a year after the fine is paid (CAO art. 4.6)
- limitation periods and 'continuing' offences: for a post still online the clock starts when it is found
- reference only, not legal advice
How people are found
- denunciations by neighbours, colleagues, followers
- social media monitoring by Center E and the FSB
- phone checks at the border and on arrest
- Rosfinmonitoring and bank data
- provocateurs in chats and fake 'Ukrainian handlers'
What to do
Where to get help
- Net Freedoms Project (@nfp_hotline)
- First Department (bot)
- OVD-Info (bot; designated 'extremist'; asking for help is not participation by law)
- Roskomsvoboda (form on its site)
- RosShtraf (fines)
- for Belarus: Human Constanta, Viasna