"Pokemon GO" is all about having fun and doing exciting stuff. Unfortunately for a certain fan, the game has led him to his own misery. He's currently facing a possibility of being imprisoned in Russia for three years.
According to Kotaku, the "Pokemon GO" player's name is Ruslan Sokolovsky who shot a video inside the titular Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg. Apparently, he made a couple of jokes — one of which is not being able to capture Jesus. He's reportedly an atheist, thus his side comments are somehow understandable.
The video begins in Sokolovsky questioning the very ethics and laws of Russia when it comes to mocking the Orthodox Church. He even placed a clip highlighting the fines and possible prison sentences involved whenever one is caught of breaking these rules. Sadly for him, the words he spoke backfired.
Shortly after the video was posted on YouTube, the "Pokemon GO" fan was arrested, as reported by The Washington Post. In fact, he has been in detention since October last year. The trial ended last Friday, and it ended with a decision of him spending three and a half years in prison.
Of course, Sokolovsky, 22, did not agree to the maximum sentence he got. He believes that it's "savagery and barbarism." He iterated that the decision the court made is unacceptable for someone who just "obscenely joked" about Orthodoxy and Patriarch Kirill.
Interestingly, what the "Pokemon GO" experienced in Russia is not entirely a new thing; the country has been jailing people for mocking either Stalin or Communism. Many people all over the world have criticized the Russian government for doing so, as they believe the right to express freedom must exist.
The charge Sokolovsky got, which is inciting religious hatred, can be likened to the very same offense that two women from the punk-rock collective Pussy Riot, were also accused of back in 2012. The two went for a protest against Russia's very own Vladimir Putin at a certain Orthodox cathedral location in Moscow.
