21-Year-Old Man Arrested for Playing Pokemon Go in Church

Vladimir Putin doesn’t play around–at least when it comes to Pokemon Go.

Following a ban of the immensely popular video game in Russian churches, the Kremlin has engaged in an extreme crackdown on virtual character catching on holy ground.

In protest, a 21-year-old blogger named Ruslan Sokolovsky created a video on August 11th showing him playing the game on his smartphone in a Russian Orthodoz Church.

A popular blogger with over 300,000 subscribers, it didn’t take long for the paranoid Russian police to come after Sokolovsky.

The Youtube video in Russian with subtitles, can be viewed below:

“… Who can ever be offended by you walking around a church with your smartphone,” the subtitles read. “I think this is safe and is not prohibited by law.”

As ABC News reported, Sokolovsky’s mission to catch a Pokemon in a church was successful, although his bid to defy the Kremlin may not be so much:

In the video, Sokolovsky stands across the street from the church, which he calls one of the “biggest temples in Yekaterinburg, ‘Temple on Blood.’” Once inside, Sokolovsky manages to catch a Pokemon as a member of the church, dressed in robes, stands in the background. At the end, he assesses that his mission went “well” and that he caught “several” Pokemon in the church.

The hashtag #FreeSokolovsky has been launched to pressure Putin into releasing the young man for the harmless fun. The band Pussy Riot has taken up the cause:

A Russian kid was sent to jail for playing Pokemon Go in church. He faces 5 years jail.#FreeSokolovskyhttp://bit.ly/2cHnIkL

— Pussy Riot (@pussyrrriot) September 3, 2016

Free speech compatriots have taken up smartphones and are chasing Pokemon Go critters in his name at Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, according to The Guardian.

ABC reports that Sokolovsky was charged with incitement of hatred and offending religious sensibilities. He faces up to five years and a fine of 500,000 rubles or about $15,000.

The post 21-Year-Old Man Arrested for Playing Pokemon Go in Church appeared first on Independent Journal Review.

Source: independent journal

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