The law on the prohibition of "krestopad" was adopted in Russia

The Federation Council at a meeting on July 25 approved a law banning the distortion of religious symbols in the media, advertising and the Internet. The law will come into force from the date of its official publication.

The Law establishes a ban on the use of images of religious buildings and other objects of religious purpose, official heraldic signs, their recognizable parts containing religious symbols of religions at the time of reproduction, without these symbols.

The ban will apply to the media, on the Internet, when selling goods, performing works, providing services and in advertising.

The document protects against distortion of images in relation to religions specified in the preamble of the legislation on freedom of conscience and religious associations: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and other religions that form an integral part of the historical heritage of the peoples of Russia.

Exceptions are cases of reproduction of historical images with an indication of the corresponding period of time, provided that there were no corresponding symbols during this period.

As reported by EADaily, the author of the bill is the vice-speaker of the State Duma Anna Kuznetsova ("United Russia"). Having prepared a legislative initiative at the end of May this year, she claimed that the situation with the erasure of crosses in images had become so systemic that it received the popular name "krestopad".

For example, co On Victory Day this year, the Kremlin's website and telegram channel changed the emblem on the main photo, depicting rhombuses instead of Orthodox crosses on the crowns of double-headed eagles. The Russian Orthodox Church called the image of domes of Orthodox churches without crosses on the logos of Russian subjects unacceptable. Later, the Orthodox crosses were returned to the Kremlin emblems.