MOSCOW, November 25 (RAPSI) - President Vladimir Putin has toughened the liability for illegal explosives trafficking and has introduced a ban on bomb making instructions in the media. The bill signed by the president was published on the official legal information website on Tuesday.

The law on media will be amended to include a ban on publishing instructions to assemble homemade bombs and explosive devices.

The offense would be punishable by a 4,000 to 5,000 ruble fine for individuals, 40,000 to 50,000 ruble fine for officials and private business people, and 800,000 to 1 million ruble fine for corporations (the current exchange rate is $1= 44.7 rubles).

The Criminal Code now includes amendments on liability for the illegal manufacture of explosives and the rebuilding or repair of explosive devices, which are punishable by a prison term of three to six years with a fine of 100,000 to 200,000 rubles or an amount equal to the offender’s average annual or two-year income.

The same offense committed by a group of people by prior arrangement is punishable by five to eight years in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 300,000 rubles or an amount equal to the average of an offender’s one- to three-year income.

Organized crime convictions are punishable by eight to 12 years and a fine of 300,000 to 500,000 rubles or two- to three-year’s income.  The age of discretion for these crimes is 14 while generally in Russia it is 16, with some exceptions.

The Criminal Code now also includes an article on illegal purchasing, trafficking, storage and the carrying of explosives or explosive devices. These are punishable by five to 12 years and fines of 200,000 to 500,000 rubles or one- to three-year’s income.