“The situation was stabilized”: the Ministry of Internal Affairs talked about the results of work to identify “death groups” in the network

The process of identifying "death groups" for children on the Internet has been established, the Russian Interior Ministry said.

“The measures taken to a large extent managed to stabilize <...> the situation in the line of suppressing the illegal activities of persons who incite minors to suicidal behavior, to smooth out its urgency and public resonance,” TASS was told in the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Recall that earlier this problem was repeatedly paid attention to by Vladimir Putin. At the end of February, the president pointed out that radicals and organizers of “death groups” on the Internet persuade adolescents to commit suicide and commit crimes. He called for ongoing work to identify the intruders forming the "death group."

“I repeat: the work to identify them should be carried out constantly, and the organizers and instigators should bear the tough punishment,” the president said during the board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As stated in the message of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a significant part of the materials involving teenagers in justifying violence communities appears on the net.

“Using network resources last year, more than half of the total number of recorded crimes of an extremist nature was committed,” the department said.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so far during the monitoring more than 2 thousand Internet resources have been put under control, distributing materials of destructive content. This figure also includes groups on social networks.

The agency indicated that the courts recognized more than 5,000 materials as extremist, 193 of which were included in the corresponding federal list last year. In addition, the anti-extremism units sent to Roskomnadzor data on more than 84 thousand Internet pages with violations. The agency has limited access to these resources.

Commenting on the results of the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs Svetlana Bessarab called the problem of "death groups" very acute. According to her, such communities are developing, using new technologies, including involving children in the game.

“Of course, we adults must keep an eye on our children. Not only the power unit should be involved in identifying such situations, but each parent should look after their child, ”the parliamentarian said in an interview with RT.

As one of the initial measures, she mentioned the control of the child's gadgets. The deputy also urged to closely monitor the mood of children, tracking the moments when they begin to behave unusually.

“In my opinion, the danger will exist as long as such inadequate people exist ... And the harsher the punishment, the less willing there will be to play these games,” Bessarab concluded.

In turn, the executive director, member of the presidium of the coordination council of the National Parent Association Larisa Sanatovskaya is of the opinion that it is not worth talking about stabilizing the situation with the "death groups", but work in this direction is being carried out actively.

“Enormous attention is paid to this problem and, undoubtedly, children receive more and more protection - this is indeed so,” the expert said in an interview with RT. She also provided examples of preventive measures that can protect children from the threat of participation in unwanted communities.

In this regard, she noted educational work and activity aimed at realizing the creative potential of the child.

“This is the same educational work, this is the work of specialists in the field of computer technology, and psychologists, and all that relates to the development of the child’s creative potential. After all, a child who is busy and passionate about something interesting will never be engaged in something that will harm his life, health and development, ”the expert concluded.

Criminal liability

In June 2017, Vladimir Putin signed into law criminalizing juvenile appeals on the net.

The document states that new articles are introduced into the Russian Criminal Code: “Inclusion to commit suicide or assistance in committing suicide” (110.1), “Organization of activities aimed at inducing suicide” (110.2) and “Involvement of a minor in the commission of acts representing danger for the life of a minor ”(151.2).

The first article provides for imprisonment of up to two years for inducing or facilitating suicide by persuasion. The term will increase to three years if the attacker provided information and a tool for committing suicide.

If the relevant information is published in the media or on the Internet, or is brought to a minor, the punishment will be up to four years in prison. In the event that the juvenile suicide or attempted assassination occurred, the punishment will be six years in prison.

Article 110.2 criminalizes the organization of activities calling for suicide. The punishment will be up to four years in prison and up to six if the crime is committed by a group of persons through the media or the Internet. Article 151.2 deals with the involvement of children in activities that pose a danger to their life. Punishment - up to two years in prison.