GAY PRIEST FINED FOR POSTING ABOUT DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC IN KEMEROVO PROVINCE
A court in Kemerovo province found an openly homosexual priest of the Association of Christian Eucharistic Communities, Alexander Khmelev, guilty of extremism and sentenced him to a fine of 1,000 rubles, Khmelev himself reported to Mediazon.
The priest was found guilty on the basis of article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (propaganda or public display of nazi paraphernalia or symbols) and assessed a fine of 1,000 rubles. In addition, his notebook was confiscated and not returned.
"My notebook was taken from me supposedly for inspection for extremism, and today the ruling of court, as I understand it, said that the notebook cannot be returned," Khmelev said.
It was reported on 20 May that a priest and open homosexual, Alexander Khmelev, was accused of extremism for a posting on a social network in which experts found a symbol that was allegedly similar to a swastika.
"In reality, a swastika was present, although these were posts about those who go from Russia to fight in the Donbass, and have been caught in Luhansk and Donetsk with tattoos of nazi symbols, that is, they were about the harm of those who are carriers of such," Khmelev wrote on his webpage. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 May 2016)
PASTOR FINED FOR PUBLISHING A SWASTIKA IN KEMEROVO PROVINCE
SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 24 May 2016
In Mezhdurechensk of Kemerovo province, Pastor Alexander Khmelev was fined 1,000 rubles for publishing the graphic of a swastika on VKontakte. The priest said that the posting was aimed against the nazi symbol and radical rightist movements.
On 24 May 2016, a Kemerovo provincial court fined a pastor of the Association of Christian Eucharistic Communities, Alexander Khmelev, 1,000 rubles. The court found him guilty on article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (Propaganda or public display of nazi paraphernalia or symbols, or paraphernalia or symbols of extremist organizations, or other paraphernalia or symbols, or propaganda or public display which is prohibited by federal laws).
The issue was his publication on the VKontakte social network with a graphic of a swastika. "In reality, a swastika was present, although these were posts about those who go from Russia to fight in the Donbass, and have been caught in Luhansk and Donetsk with tattoos of nazi symbols, that is, they were about the harm of those who are carriers of such," the priest explained.
Earlier A. Khmelev had expressed the supposition that the case was brought against him because of the publication of the Tamga graphic, a symbol of Crimean Tatars.
Judging by everything, in this case the forbidden symbol was displayed by Khmelev not in order to promote nazi ideology, and therefore from our point of view his prosecution is illegal. "(tr. by PDS, posted 24 May 2016)
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