Olga Bogomolets is the author of the bill on de-maligning
The text of the draft law on "de-maturity"—counteracting foul language—has been published on the Verkhovna Rada website.
It mainly concerns fines for using obscene language on TV and the internet.
"The country" I analyzed what the author of the document, BPP MP Olga Bogomolets, proposes.
Even swearing on Facebook will be fined.
The document proposes fines for swearing in audiovisual form. And not just on TV, but also online. For example, in your personal YouTube video blog or on Facebook.
The only exception is films. Moreover, the bill doesn't specify whether they are fictional or not. So, if a documentary contains obscene language, it will be legal.
The fine for ordinary citizens ranges from 40 to 70 tax-free minimum wages, or from 38,000 to 67,000 hryvnias. The alternative is 40 to 60 hours of community service or one to two months of correctional labor with a 20% salary deduction. Another alternative is fifteen days of administrative arrest.
For public figures, these penalties are increased. The fine increases from 75 to 100 non-taxable minimums, or from 72 to 96 hryvnias in fines. Correctional labor and other penalties are at the same level as for ordinary citizens.
The definition of a "public figure" is specifically defined. According to the bill's author, Olga Bogomolets, it refers to anyone who falls under the law on money laundering and terrorist financing.
On the Verkhovna Rada website, public figures are defined as follows: "Public figures are individuals who, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine 'On the Prevention and Counteraction of the Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds from Crime, the Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,' are national and foreign public figures, and figures who perform political functions in international organizations."
That is, essentially, all politicians.
The term obscene language is also defined.
"Obscene (profanity) is abusive (unacceptable) swearing (vocabulary), the list of words and expressions of which is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine."
The proceeds from fines go to the Ukrainian Cultural Fund, an agency controlled by the Ministry of Culture.
The bill also requires the creation of a list of stop words prohibited on air and the creation of a system for monitoring profanity. All of this is to be done within six months of the law's adoption.
What does Bogomolets say about his law?
The explanatory note to the bill states that obscenity is a Russian invention, supposedly alien to Ukrainians.
"Ukrainians have historically been alien to primitive, foul language. It entered our language as a borrowing from Russian culture. The swearing that Russian colonizers instilled for centuries is now being 'instilled' in public spaces and the media. Ukrainians historically and traditionally have not used the kind of swear words that are common today... Ukrainians did not favor or use rude language 'below the belt' and did not indulge in vulgarity," the Rada website states.
The bill's initiator, Olga Bogomolets, stated in the Rada that her goal is to prevent the use of obscene language in public spaces.
"This law is exclusively about public figures (by the way, this isn't true – ed.). It's about public space and the media. This law proposes defining obscenity and defining the alphabetical order of words that public figures are prohibited from using in public spaces," she said.
"Next, there should be a special component for media and the internet. Very often, one letter is replaced with certain symbols. This doesn't change the meaning of the word; it's simply as if it doesn't exist, but everyone knows what it's about," Bogomolets added.
She also said that the bill provides for the introduction of administrative fines for the media.
"These fines will apply to media outlets. They amount to 10% of the license fee for audio broadcast payments. For individuals, these fines range from 3 to 7 non-taxable minimums (UAH 54-99) or correctional labor with a portion of their earnings deducted," she said, adding that the proceeds from the fines should go to the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
According to Bogomolets, media outlets should be held accountable if they rebroadcast obscene language from speakers.
She expressed the opinion that this bill is part of the fight for the purity of the Ukrainian language.
"Passing a law on the Ukrainian language without purging the language of elements that are completely alien to Ukrainian culture... that's not ours, not Ukrainian. That's another aspect. Ukrainians have never sworn or used foul language. Ukraine is characterized by a completely different, pantheistic dimension of swearing. Let's go back. If you want to swear, swear in Ukrainian," Bogomolets said.
When asked by journalists how exactly, she replied: “I’ll give you a kick in the ass.”
Bogomolets herself stated that she does not use foul language.
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