MOSCOW, September 5 (RAPSI) - Fresh amendments to the Uzbek law on online media which have come into effect on Friday allow blocking access to websites as well as blogs which contain unverified information or information deemed to be extremist.

The amendments were approved by both chambers of the parliament in late August and signed by President Islam Karimov into law.

The law reads that bloggers must check the reliability of information before posting it on their web resources and to immediately delete it if it turns out to be inaccurate, contains elements of extremism or promotes illegal activities.

Punishment for violations includes restricted access to online resources and fines to be imposed in accordance with the effective legislation, a spokesperson of the Uzbek government’s press service told RIA Novosti.

“The law simplifies bloggers’ operation by clearly formulating their obligations, which rules out any misinterpretation of requirements for the publication of information online,” the source said.