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World Jewish News
Racism in Online Social Network leads Arkhangelsk student to criminal case
08.05.2009
Anti-Semitism in Vkontakte, a Russian social networking site, has led an Arkhangelsk student to a criminal case.
A criminal case has been initiated against the student of one of Arkhangelsk higher educational institutions for stirring up national hatred. This was informed to the Baltic Information Agency (BIA) in the press relations service of the Investigative Committee at the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation in the Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous district. "The
case was initiated according to Part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (actions directed toward the fomenting of hatred or enmity as well as toward abasement of human dignity)," they explained in the press relations office. Maximum punishment on this article provides for up to two years of imprisonment.
According to the investigative lead, the student of the local higher educational institution born in 1987 registered on Vkontakte under his own name in March of
2008. He posted series of photographs containing humiliating descriptions of Africans and Jews as ethnic groups on it.
Also, the page contained statements directed toward the fomenting of interracial and international enmity in society, and demonstrated symbols similar to Nazi symbols. After the page was detected by officers of the Federal Security Service, it was deleted from the website.
The student has not been charged yet. At present, he has given a written undertaking not to leave the city.
Investigation with regard to the case is underway.
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