A meeting of the interagency working group was held on 9 November 2016 in the Investigative Committee to discuss prevention of spreading suicide-related information in the Internet.
The meeting was attended by Acting Head of the Investigative Committee’s Forensics Directorate Zigmund Lozhis, heads and employees of the Central Office’s divisions, Acting Head of the Moscow Interregional Transport Office of the Investigative Committee Sergei Vazyulin, representatives of the Investigative Committee’s Law Academy, Head of the Crisis Psychology Center under the Moscow and Russian Patriarch’s Office of the Christ’s Resurrection Temple on Former Semyonovskoye Cemetery Mikhail Khasminsky, director of non-commercial partnership Center for Monitoring Dangerous and Illegal Content Anna Levchenko, deputy-head of the legal department of OOO Mail.Ru Group Dmitry Babhichev, advisor to the Children’s Ombudsman under the RF President Mikhail Orlov and representatives of Rospotrebnadzor (the federal consumer rights protection authority) and the RF Ministry of the Interior.
In his report Mr. Lozhis noted with regret that “the instances when teenagers commit suicides have recently become more frequent. 3 teenage suicidal events happened in Moscow Region alone during the past weekend, last week two girls aged 14 and 17 committed suicide in Bashkortostan and that’s not the end of the list. The analysis of criminal cases, materials of preliminary checks, information coming from regional investigative authorities, personal accounts of suicides or the teenagers who have attempted to kill themselves shows that social networks are the main source of threat.” Criminalists also reported on forensic support they provided to investigations into Internet-related crimes committed against children, pointing out that powerful software they use gave positive results in searching for individuals who spread suicide-related information online.
Participants of the meeting discussed suicides and destructive behavior of teenagers, strategy, prevention and efficient resources for fighting against such behavior, prevention of suicides and potentially dangerous hobbies of youths that can pose threat to their health and lives including those on transport infrastructure. Management of the Investigative Committee’s Moscow Interregional Transport Directorate presented a new video planned to be spread among young people to prevent train surfing. In order to prevent promotion of extreme crazes on transport, investigators actively cooperate with representatives of OAO Russian Railways and NGOs.
During the meeting the officials developed a plan of joint steps to be taken by divisions of the Investigative Committee and other law-enforcement authorities, ministries, agencies and non-commercial organizations for prevention of suicides and attempted suicides among teenagers. They also discussed bills necessary to be passed for better mechanism for prosecuting those guilty of teenage suicides. Deputies of the State Duma concerned by this problem, officials of the Science and Education Ministry, IT specialists, representatives of social networks and TV channels are planned to be invited to the next meeting of the council.
Acting Head of Media Relations S.L. Petrenko
PDF version 
DOC version
