What to do if you are offended on the Internet

Previously, insults were controlled by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and liability was criminal. But after 2011 they were excluded from the list of crimes, and to this day they are considered to be administrative offenses.

On the one hand, now no one is afraid to call another a fool - especially on the Internet. On the other hand, it has become much easier to bring such smart guys to justice.

"Everyone has the right to defend his honor and good name" (Constitution of the Russian Federation)

Responsibility for insult is spelled out in article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation of 12/07/2011.

An insult is an obscene expression of the honor and dignity of another person. This can be foul language or an expression that contradicts generally accepted norms in society.

For him, an administrative fine can be imposed on the offender through the court, which depends on the degree of publicity.

Sometimes insult is also associated with slander - lies that humiliate a person. But the Law separates these concepts, so we will leave the lies on the web for other material.

For insults in messengers and social. networks different punishment

Article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation separates personal and public insults. Offensive messages in instant messengers can be considered personal, and for them a more modest fine. Public - these are posts on social networks, and the fine for them is quite significant.

The fine for insult can be from 1 thousand to 500 thousand rubles.

If it is expressed personally (messengers):

▪️ For citizens: 1-3 thousand rubles.

▪️ For officials: 10-30 thousand rubles.

▪️ For legal entities: 50-100 thousand rubles.

If expressed publicly (social media):

▪️ For citizens: 3-5 thousand rubles.

▪️ For officials: 30-50 thousand rubles.

▪️ For legal entities: 100-500 thousand rubles.

Let's go back to the skirmish with the buddy. You quarreled with him last night, and in the morning on his VKontakte page many bad words were written about you. In response, you wrote insults to your neighbor privately in WhatsApp.

You go to the prosecutor's office, and your opponent does the same. Both cases go to court, you are fined up to 3 thousand rubles. for a simple insult, and a neighbor for 5 thousand for a public one.

But if a user insulted you on Twitter using a public account of a commercial company, such an offense can cost up to 500 thousand rubles.

Do not in any way insult in return. Even if you really want to

We perfectly understand how feelings boil and seethe. However, it is best to refrain from doing this. After all, the opponent can file a counter statement against you too, the same law applies to him as to you.

Instead of throwing dirt in response, prepare the evidence base if you will definitely file a lawsuit against a person with the prosecutor's office or sue him. It would be better to immediately take a screenshot of the correspondence, because the opponent can easily delete it. And you will not be able to prove anything and will attract you already. An appeal to the prosecutor's office can be drawn up both in free form and in the established one. However, it is not so simple. If the insult is composed of incomprehensible modern words, the judge may order a linguistic examination.

Experienced lawyers advise not to be afraid of even such litigation. If everything is prepared correctly, then the case will be completed as soon as possible. And apart from penalties, as a rule, rarely what threatens the offender.