MOSCOW, March 24 (RAPSI) – The State Duma lawmakers passed a bill on prejudicial blocking of information recources distributing false malicious statements  defaming people’s honour and dignity in the first reading on Wednesday, according to the official database of the lower house of parliament.

Under the draft law, such websites may be blocked upon an application of a citizen to prosecutors demanding to delete false and defaming information related with committing a crime. Prosecutors must send the demand to the communications agency Roskomnadzor, which is to restrict access to the recources.

The initiative is aimed to create additional mechanisms protecting human rights in the IT environment, according to the document’s authors.

Amendments are proposed to the Federal Law Concerning Information, Information Technologies and Information Security.