MOSCOW, May 31 (RAPSI) – The Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, has approved a bill introducing criminal punishment for inducing children to suicide.

The Stata Duma passed the draft law on May 26.

The bill stipulates punishment of up to 6 years in prison for inducing or assistance in committing suicide. Inducing to suicide may come in form of persuasion, bribery, fraud, provision of information that aims to present suicide in attractive light. Media and telecommunication networks are named among potential sources for such information. Inducing to suicide also includes suicide advice, instructions, provision of tools and instruments of committing suicide.

The draft law envisages criminal penalty for creating so-called Groups of Death on the Internet and suicidal games. Admins of such groups and organizers of informal communities engaged in inducement to commit suicide would face imprisonment of up to 6 years.

Under the bill, causing somebody to commit suicide would be punishable by up to 6 years in prison. Those, who forced children, pregnant women, helpless person, two or more individuals to commit suicide would face imprisonment of up to 8 years.

Involvement of children into such dangerous activities as train surfing, roofing and others would result in imprisonment of up to 3 years.

Moreover, Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor would be obliged to report cases of distributing banned information online including calls to suicide to the Interior Ministry for prompt response and carrying out of a procedural check.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, 720 children committed suicide in 2016. In the last 3 years, 2,205 minors passed away in such a manner, an explanatory note to the bill reads.