"In Vladimir Putin's Russia, you may not be allowed to question God's existence — at least not on social media.
Russian Viktor Krasnov, 38, could be jailed over an Internet exchange with two strangers in an online community during which he said that God doesn't exist.
On Wednesday, Krasnov appeared in court in the southern city of Stavropol, where he stands accused of violating a 2013 law that made it a crime to offend the sentiments of religious people, news site Meduza reported. Lawmakers introduced the ban after Pussy Riot's infamous punk protest inside a Moscow cathedral and the trial that followed.
If convicted, Krasnov could be sentenced to one year in a Russian prison.
During the exchange in question, which occurred on the Russian social network Vkontakte (In Contact) in October 2014, Krasnov wrote, "There is no God" after two other men, Dmitry Burnyashev and Aleksandr Kravstov, wrote about their views of traditional Orthodox Christian family values.
Krasnov also used some derogatory words to describe Jews and called the Bible a "collection of Jewish fairy tales." But he's not in trouble with the law for those remarks.
While Krasnov wrote the comments in 2014, charges were only brought against him in early 2015, and he didn't learn of them until April 2015, Meduza reported.
Later, Krasnov was forced to spend a month in a psychiatric facility, where doctors observed his mental state, the MediaZona news site reported.
He was also threatened by "Orthodox Christian fundamentalists," telling Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian service they said "they will get me, my family, and do all sorts of bad things."
The remarks made by Krasnov, who goes by Viktor Kolosov on Vkontakte, remain on the Vkontakte discussion board today.
The Moscow-based Sova Center, a group that researches extremism in Russia, wrote in a 2015 report that it regards Krasnov's prosecution as "a violation of his right to freedom of conscience."
Krasnov has called the case against him "nonsense."
And his case isn't the only one of its kind. As Meduza points out, Russia has several ongoing investigations against people suspected of insulting religious followers.
There is a case in Yekaterinburg involving a self-professed "voodoo master" who published a video online of him beheading a rooster and dripping its blood on Orthodox religious objects in order to curse Ukraine's president. He hasn't been charged with animal abuse, but with blasphemy.
Krasnov's case comes amid a broader government crackdown on freedom of expression, especially on the Internet".
By: Christopher Miller (mashable.com)
Fuente: mashable.com
