A Russian state prosecutor asked a court to jail a blogger who played Pokemon Go inside a church for three-and-a-half years on Friday, saying he was guilty of inciting religious hatred.
Ruslan Sokolovsky, 22, a popular blogger, last August posted a video online of himself playing Pokemon on his mobile phone inside a church in Yekaterinburg built on the spot where the last Russian tsar and his family were killed in 1918.
In the video, which contains strong language mocking Christianity, Sokolovsky likens Jesus Christ to a Pokemon character and says he had decided to play the popular game inside the church because he had seen a news report saying people who did so could be fined or jailed.
Soon after the video appeared, state prosecutors accused Sokolovsky of inciting religious hatred, the same charge used to successfully prosecute the Pussy Riot punk band in 2012 when they staged a cathedral protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'I believe that there is no reason to exempt the defendant from liability,' the prosecutor told the court on Friday, the TASS news agency reported. 'There is also no reason to sentence him to a fine ... I request that the court sentence him to 3.5 years in a penal colony.'
A suspended sentence would create a dangerous impression of impunity, the prosecutor added.
Sokolovsky, who was previously confined to a pre-trial detention center, is currently under house arrest.
'I'm in shock,' Sokolovsky told the court after listening to the prosecutor, video footage of the proceedings showed.
'I have been in jail, I was there for three months, and it is the doorway to hell.'
He said: 'I do not consider myself an extremist, maybe I'm an idiot, but not in any way an extremist.'
Sokolovsky's case has drawn international attention and condemnation from human rights campaigners.
Amnesty International has described his detention as 'a farcical attack' on freedom of expression. Its spokesmanJohn Dalhuisen said: 'The absurdity of the case of the Russian blogger jailed for playing Pokémon Go in a church highlights what happens when authorities hold the freedom of expression in such low regard. Even if Sokolovsky's behaviour may have been regarded as disrespectful by some, states should not be jailing people simply for offending religious sensibilities.'
Russian Orthodox church leaders believe his actions were offensive but asked for him to be released from prison. The local Russian Orthodox Archbishop, Metropolitan Kyrill of Yekaterinburg, said: 'We do not crave blood' but wanted to ensure 'such actions do not spread'.
The Orthodox faith has enjoyed a renaissance under the regime of President Vladimir Putin and is increasingly prominent in public life. Controversy erupted recently over the return to Church ownership of St Isaac's Cathedral in St Petersburg, formerly a museum. Minority faiths including Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses face severe restrictions, with the latter having been banned. Russia has been listed as a country of particular concern by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The court is expected to issue a verdict on May 11.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
