|
The State Duma on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill banning the use of foreign or offensive words, which have been used by President Vladimir Putin and other politicians to spice up public addresses.
The Duma overwhelmingly approved the bill entrenching Russian as the "state language" and barring "offensive," "obscene" and "vulgar" words. Foreign words are also outlawed when Russian-language equivalents exist.
The legislation provided no specific penalties for offenders and will probably have little effect on the tendency of public figures to use off-color language.
Putin launched a 1999 drive against Chechen rebels by vowing to "waste them in the outhouse." He then chose not to campaign in the 2000 election he easily won, saying he would not treat politics like trying to sell "Snickers and Tampax."
Allegations of military atrocities in Chechnya again prompted him to tell a French journalist in November that anyone wishing to become a Muslim extremist could undergo circumcision in Moscow "in such a way that nothing grows back."
Deputy Duma Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky also has resorted to off-color expressions and was seen on television recently denouncing U.S. policy in Iraq -- with many of his remarks blotted out.
Deputies rejected a Yabloko proposal to remove Zhirinovsky from his post as a result of his outburst -- which apparently was taped at a private party.
They also easily persuaded liberal lawmakers to drop suggestions that the legislation would impinge on press freedom by outlawing feature films where dialogue included unrefined, countryside speech.
Nikolai Gubenko, a former culture minister, said no ban would apply if the terms were "part of the creative process."
The bill must still be approved by the Federation Council and then Putin to become law.
See also:
Original article
| 