A Russian man may face jail time for denying God's existence in an online discussion forum.
Viktor Krasnov, who wrote, "There is no God," on the social network VKontakte in 2014, is on trial in Stavropol, in southern Russia. He is being prosecuted under a controversial 2013 law, known as Article 148, that criminalizes acts that insult people's religious feelings and beliefs, his lawyer, Andrei Sabinin, told Agence France-Presse. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison or a fine of 300,000 rubles ($4,065).
Krasnov wrote his comments, misspelling the Russian word for "God," on VKontakte in October 2014. He also referred to the Bible as a "collection of Jewish fairytales."
Article 148 was introduced after female band Pussy Riot performed a "punk prayer" in the main Russian Orthodox church in Moscow, calling on the Virgin Mary to "drive Putin away," in February 2012.
Two Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in prison under charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred," amid international outrage.
Viktor Krasnov, who wrote, "There is no God," on the social network VKontakte in 2014, is on trial in Stavropol, in southern Russia. He is being prosecuted under a controversial 2013 law, known as Article 148, that criminalizes acts that insult people's religious feelings and beliefs, his lawyer, Andrei Sabinin, told Agence France-Presse. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison or a fine of 300,000 rubles ($4,065).
Krasnov wrote his comments, misspelling the Russian word for "God," on VKontakte in October 2014. He also referred to the Bible as a "collection of Jewish fairytales."
Article 148 was introduced after female band Pussy Riot performed a "punk prayer" in the main Russian Orthodox church in Moscow, calling on the Virgin Mary to "drive Putin away," in February 2012.
Two Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in prison under charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred," amid international outrage.
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