Pokémon-go in the Church-on-Blood

Playing in the virtual world can sometimes have unimaginable consequences in the real world.  Ruslan Sokolovsky, a 22 year old resident of Yekaterinburg, Russia, will have to wait until the coming Thursday to find out what they are in his case.

Ruslan Sokolovsky

Ruslan lost his father at the age of 13. His mother is chronically unwell. Ruslan moved from one faculty to another before settling to study law. At a young age, he decided God didn’t exist, and that religious people are irrational, perhaps psychologically weak. Religious institutions are deplorable, hand-in-glove with the politicians. Ruslan calls himself an atheist, a cosmopolitan and a libertarian. He began recording his thoughts and posting them as a video-blog. He soon developed a fan-base of a few thousands. He was delighted to learn he could monetise his popularity. He badly needed money for his survival and his mother’s care.

Pokémon-Go

In July 2016, the world saw the release of a new virtual reality game, Pokémon-go. Without it, this story would not have happened.  Pokémon-Go, in case you don’t know, is a GPS based game, where you go to public places with your Smartphone trying to catch the Pokémon (Pocket Monsters). As children, we ran after butterflies. After escaping a few times, when the butterfly was finally caught, it was an achievement for us. Catching Pokémon is similar, though much more complicated. The game is hugely addictive. Last summer, you could see Pokemaniacs of different ages running across roads, in parks, on beaches, in public spaces.

In the same month, Ruslan watched a news item on “Rossiya-24”, a TV channel. It warned viewers not to try to catch Pokémon in Russian orthodox churches.

As an atheist-nihilist, Ruslan decided to rebel. He went to the city’s most famous church – Church on Blood. After the 1917 Russian revolution the Tsar, his entire family and entourage were shot, bayoneted, and clubbed to death in this place, hence the name. (The church was built after the collapse of the USSR). Ruslan went around the church with his Smartphone in hand, trying to catch Pokémon. He didn’t say a word, nobody really noticed him. These days a person walking without a Smartphone attracts more attention.

Ruslan then went home, and prepared a video-report of his church visit. His report concluded with a piece of satire. It said he didn’t catch any Pokémon; not even the rarest Pokémon, Jesus. To spice up the video, he added a prayer with maternal insults in the background. The digital generation loves what is profane more than what is profound.

 The video clip spread like wildfire (1.2 million views). A psychiatrist on one TV channel called Sokolovsky mentally ill. Another channel discussed how Pokémon-Go creates hallucinations. The Orthodox Church expressed its displeasure, said it would meet him along with the police to teach him how to respect religion. The Church wanted people to pray, not play, in the church.   

A little before that, a Synagogue in St Petersburg had organised a competition. People were invited to the synagogue to catch Pokémon. The person who caught the maximum was given a bottle of ‘Kosher wine’ as a reward. The synagogue spokeswoman declared the event to be great fun. 

Official reaction

A week after Ruslan’s video, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement saying the blogger’s video is being investigated by the police centre for combating extremism. Things began moving faster in September. Early morning on 2 September (the police prefer to raid houses when the occupants are sleeping), Ruslan’s apartment was raided. He was arrested and his video equipment confiscated. The judge remanded him to custody for two months. After his appeal, the detention was converted into house arrest.

Ruslan would have been under house arrest until the completion of his trial. However, his girlfriend came to his house to wish him on his birthday. As luck would have it, she bumped into an inspector. A house prisoner meeting anyone without official permission is a breach of regulations. Ruslan was sent back to the detention centre, where he would spend most of the winter. Russian winters can be long and miserable.

A month before his trial, in a form of relief, he was back under house arrest. The trial began on 13 March and would go on for nearly two months.

Ruslan was charged under three sections of Russia’s criminal law.

282: Inciting hatred or enmity and insulting human dignity.

148: Public actions expressing clear disrespect to society with the aim of insulting religious feelings of believers committed in places for religious worship. (This section was added in 2013, following the Pussy Riot case, where a group of young Russian women performed anti-Putin songs in a Moscow church).

138: Violation of the secrecy of conversations of individuals. (During the house raid, the police found a pen with a camera in it. This has been submitted in evidence as a ‘spy pen’).

The Trial

In a spirit of openness, the entire trial was transmitted live, filmed and posted on YouTube. Anyone who knows the Russian language can watch it, and pass his own judgement. The trial was full of a variety of characters.

Socio-psychic-psychiatric-religio-linguistic experts were called in by both sides. They discussed which words may or may not disrespect, hurt, insult. Does a maternal insult humiliate a person or offend him?

Ruslan’s advocate wrote to Patriarch Kirill (Russia’s Pope) asking whether he felt insulted. The Patriarch’s office replied this was a matter for the courts to decide.

The state witnesses said, yes, they were offended. They looked too elderly and too simple to have ever operated the internet. When Ruslan’s advocate probed deeper, a witness admitted she was invited by the police to watch Ruslan’s clip in an auditorium. She watched it and then felt deeply hurt and humiliated. A Muslim witness was added for good measure. He said he felt insulted as well, because Islam and Christianity have the same roots.

Ruslan’s advocate often asked the witnesses to show how they felt hurt. Show me where and how you were hurt, he asked, as if this was an automobile accident. No witness could answer him.

Amnesty International, meanwhile, had issued a statement calling Ruslan Sokolovsky a “prisoner of conscience” and asking the world community to write to Russian prosecutors demanding his immediate release.

The mayor of Yekaterinburg said people were not forced to watch clips on internet. If you don’t like someone or something, don’t watch it. He said Tolstoy and Pushkin had debated similar topics (religion), except they hadn’t used swear words.

The lady prosecutor demanded Ruslan be imprisoned for 3 ½ years.

In his final address, Ruslan refused to accept his guilt. He said he could be an idiot, but not an extremist. He has not disturbed anybody, or caused any violence. He is responsible for his ill mother. He appealed against a prison sentence. He knows what Russian prisons are like, imprisonment would destroy him.

The lady judge will give her verdict on Thursday, 11 May.

*****

Analysis

Salman Rushdie, Charlie Hebdo and Ruslan Sokolovsky

Salman Rushdie had to hide for eleven years after the publication of his Satanic Verses. I don’t think Khomeini ever read the book before issuing the fatwa. (Rushdie writes in a language of magic realism which is hard to understand for those who read Sidney Sheldon or Jeffrey Archer. However, Rushdie’s genius can be seen in Joseph Anton, his memoir written in plain and beautiful English. The basis for Joseph Anton is Rushdie’s period of living in fear for eleven years). With a different title, it’s possible the Muslim world would have ignored the book. If Rushdie knew what was going to happen, I doubt he would have written the book. Writers are revolutionaries in spirit, but they don’t wish to be killed in that revolution. Rushdie had ample freedom of speech in the country he was the citizen of, but his book hurt the feelings of a foreign theocrat.

In January, 2015 twelve people including sub-editors and eminent cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French newspaper were killed by two brothers carrying guns. Charlie Hebdo calls itself secular, anti-religious. It publishes cartoons and articles against Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other religions. The reason for the attack was its publishing of cartoons on Prophet Mohammad. Though attacked in 2011 and 2015, Charlie Hebdo continues to publish satire mocking religions, including Islam.

In Rushdie’s case, the punishment was announced by an extraterritorial religious head. In the case of Charlie Hebdo, two terrorists executed twelve people for the alleged insult.

Sokolovsky’s case, though he is accused of insulting religious feelings as well, is different. It is an official case Sokolovsky vs Russian Orthodox Church which will be decided by the secular Russian state.

Atheism to religion

An obvious irony is that Russia under communism was atheist. Public propagation of religion was a punishable crime. In Brest Border: my open diary in Jan. 2008, I wrote about the persecution and imprisonment of Hare Krishna devotees in the Soviet days. Back then, Amnesty called them the prisoners of conscience. Russians can now be charged for hurting the feelings of the religious people. There doesn’t seem to be any law against hurting the feelings of atheists.

Another curious thing is that Ruslan’s offensive video clips are still in the web. Russian churchgoers, please open the links, watch Sokolovsky, and get insulted and possibly humiliated. Material capable of spreading such hatred and enmity is still accessible to anyone eight months after Sokolovsky’s arrest. Is that not bizarre?  

Sokolovsky would be classified as a dissident, someone strongly opposing established doctrines and practices. The Internet is flooded with hate, swear words, blasphemy. Why Sokolovsky? Because his thinking reached a scale. More than one million people watched his clip. As soon as a provocative thinker or writer reaches large numbers, he becomes a dissident. A dissident’s success or fame can put him in danger.

Amnesty International and others who cry against such processes actually may be doing a disservice to the accused. Russia is a proud nation. It doesn’t want to be perceived as deciding Russian cases under the pressure of human rights or other organisations from the west.

That the trial was transmitted live and the video clips in question are still accessible is a welcome democratic step. The Russian state has run a risk of making Sokolovsky a hero (or a martyr). Though he has used foul language to please his target viewers, Sokolovsky comes across as a rational, articulate, well-read and strong-minded person. The Church offered to withdraw the case if he repented. Sokolovsky refused to accept his guilt or ask the church for forgiveness.

The Verdict

What is the judge supposed to do?

She can dismiss the case and release Sokolovsky. This is nearly impossible. Four investigators were appointed on the case. In a region where 30,000 cases of significant gravity remain pending, much effort has been invested in this case. Special prosecutors were appointed, witnesses for the prosecution invited. One simply can’t dismiss a case after all that. Moreover, dismissing the case would be a victory for Amnesty International and all those western critics. Russia must define its freedom of expression not by the standards of the west.

It would be good if Sokolovsky gets a suspended sentence. As a condition, he may be asked to stop sacrilegious video-blogging. Such a reprieve, though, will offend the Orthodox Church. Sokolovksy has refused to repent. In the absence of repentance, the Church will expect real punishment. Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian state must help one another to keep their respective powers intact.

The most likely outcome is a two-year imprisonment and a fine. That way, future dissidents are deterred as well. Later, once Ruslan has tested enough of prison life, a presidential pardon can be issued. President Putin is likely to be re-elected in March 2018. He can then pardon Ruslan before the start of the 2018 FIFA world cup in Russia. That will stop Amnesty International lobbying for a World Cup boycott from the west.

Ravi 

Select webography

1.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfMn1yahGYk The clip called “Pokemon go prank” with English subtitles. The main reason for the case. Warning: includes swear words.

2.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPC-KhPCv4 10-minute concluding speech of Sokolovsky (in Russian).

3.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEg0MCSr098 A religious witness explaining how she was insulted and humiliated. (In Russian) Fairly amusing to watch the exchange.

4.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmRtwopybU0 a variety of insulted witnesses. The priest confirms the clip insulted each and every orthodox Christian. (in Russian)

5.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yIHqhWogeo Almost a full length film. Interrogation of Sokolovsky. Gives us a good idea about the court process in Russia. (in Russian)

6.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QVGM7rGd8o Mayor of Yekaterinburg, a very articulate person,  says this case shouldn’t have come to the court in a secular state. (in Russian)

R.