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Recently signed by the Russian President on 18 December 2001, the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation contains some new provisions concerning the dissemination of information by means of the mass media. First, when a story appears in the mass media about the commission of a crime or concerning the preparation for it, such action shall serve as grounds for initiating a prosecution. On demand by a prosecutor, an investigator or a body of inquiry, the editorial office and editor-inchief of the enterprise concerned shall be obliged to hand over all the documents and materials giving...

Since 1999 cinematography organizations had enjoyed preferential tax treatment in accordance with the Federal Statute on state support of cinematography in the Russian Federation of 22 August 1996 (See IRIS 1999-2: 11). But the period of validity of the legal rules under which the cinematography organizations were given tax benefits expired on 1 January 2002. From this date on cinematography organizations shall pay full profit tax. Earlier such organizations were exempt from the part of the profit tax to be paid to the federal budget. These benefits concerned the profits from the production and...

On 1 June 2001, the Federal Constitutional Statute "On a State of Emergency" # 3-FKZ entered into force. A Presidential decree will declare a state of emergency if the constitutional rights of citizens and state security are threatened. Such a decree must be approved by the Council of the Federation, the higher chamber of the Federal Assembly. The President may introduce a state of emergency in the whole territory of the Russian Federation or in certain parts of it. The Act establishes a list of extraordinary circumstances, which require special measures and temporary restrictions to protect citizens'...

On 10 July 2001 the Statute "On Restriction of Tobacco Smoking" was signed into force by the President of the Russian Federation. Article 7 of the Statute imposes a ban on showing smoking in television films, movies and plays, which are produced after the statute enters into force, if smoking is not an essential part of an art concept. Public figures and politicians shall not be shown smoking in the mass media. The Statute enters into force in six months after being published.

On 4 August 2001, the Russian President signed an addendum to the Mass Media Statute of 1991. The Statute entered into force in 9 August 2001. The new article (191) concerns foreign citizens, stateless persons, those with dual citizenship, as well as foreign legal entities and Russian legal entities of which more than fifty percent of the capital is held by foreign legal entities. These persons and entities shall be prohibited from founding TV broadcasting companies if they cover more than half of Russian population or half of its provinces. In addition, selling shares in TV broadcasting organizations,...