MOSCOW, June 18 (RAPSI) – The Supreme Court has upheld a bill that would introduce criminal liability for the desecration of Russia’s national anthem, TASS news agency reported on Thursday.

The bill was submitted to the State Duma by MP Oleg Mikheyev (A Just Russia).

The Supreme Court judges said they support the bill on the condition that it would be updated to incorporate their recommendations. The statement says that Russian legislation stipulates administrative penalties for violating the procedure for the official use of Russia’s state symbols, and that criminal punishment is only stipulated for the desecration of the state emblem and flag.

“Proceeding from the equality in the status of state symbols, it would be logical to introduce legal protection for the national anthem and criminal punishment for desecrating it,” the statement says.

Mikheyev proposed that “the distortion, mutilation or any other changes in the text by inserting expletives, invectives or abusive terms be regarded as desecration of the anthem.”

The Supreme Court said the amendments should be updated because these actions aimed at discrediting the official state symbol can be taken in a non-verbal form, for example, adding the anthem to indecent videos.