Russian journalist fined for mocking orthodox church over lack of Covid measures

‘Authorities should not spend their time harassing and pursuing legal action against a blogger over a satirical post’ say campaigners

Russian Orthodox churchgoers have not been sufficiently protected, it was claimed (AFP via Getty Images)

A Russian journalist has reportedly been fined for satirising the Russian Orthodox Church over its “failure to take safety measures” against Covid-19.

Aleksandr Pichugin was charged with “public dissemination of knowingly false information that poses a threat to the life and safety of citizens”.

He was arrested in April for a post he published on his Telegram channel, relating a purported message by the Russian Federal Security Service calling the church’s Palm Sunday services “a planned activity … with the aim to infect people with a deadly disease”, and called potentially infected people “suicide bombers”, according to reports.

Mr Pichugin, the chief editor of an independent commentary and politics website, said it was an expression of his anger over the church’s failure to comply with coronavirus restrictions to protect church-goers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).  

The governor of his local region of Nizhny Novgorod had asked him and other bloggers to encourage the population to comply with Covid restrictions, the journalist said.

Federal Security Service agents later arrested him, confiscating his laptop and mobile phone, it was reported. 

Prosecutors had requested a suspended sentence of two years and six months, Mr Pichugin told the CPJ.  Instead, the court ordered him to pay a fine of 300,000 rubles (£2,960), according to Radio Free Europe. His lawyer said he would appeal.

The CPJ had called on the Russian authorities to drop all charges against him and allow him to work freely.  

“Russian authorities should not spend their time harassing and pursuing legal action against a blogger over a satirical post,” said Gulnoza Said, of CPJ.  

During his trial, witnesses reportedly said the post did not contain disinformation and was a metaphor.