The man who allegedly played Ukrainian music in his car was sentenced to 15 days in prison this week. He must also pay a fine of 50,000 rubles, almost NOK 8,500. According to human rights activists, the father of the family was stopped by the traffic police in the Russian capital this week. The reason was that he must have listened to Ukrainian music. The man has now been convicted of discrediting the Russian army and disobeying the police, reports OVD-info. He is not the first Russian to be arrested because of his choice of music. This is written by the independent Russian newspaper, Meduza. The Russian regime has cracked down hard on protests against the war in Ukraine. Here, a man is arrested in a demonstration in Moscow against the mobilization that was introduced in September. Now Ukrainian music is also seen as a way to protest against the war. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP In September, a woman was arrested in Moscow because she allegedly listened to the Ukrainian national anthem at home in her apartment. The police are said to have been made aware of the matter after being contacted by neighbours. In August, two people had to appear in court on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Both were accused of discrediting Russian forces. The reason was the music played at a karaoke bar. One man had asked the DJ to play a Ukrainian song, but the court ruled that the song was nationalistic. The man received a fine of 50,000 rubles, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. In court, the man pleaded guilty, but explained that he had been very drunk. The DJ had to serve ten days in prison, convicted for playing the song, but also for displaying the symbols of the Azov regiment on a projector. The Ukrainian Azov Regiment’s symbols are banned in Russia. Photo: Alexander KHUDOTEPLY / AFP Six people also had to go to prison after a wedding party on the Crimean peninsula in September. The reason was that they were singing a Ukrainian folk song. They were punished with imprisonment from 1–15 days. Russia expert believes the country is becoming more totalitarian The arrests show that Russian prosecutors are now turning the spotlight on other parts of society. That’s what Inna Sangadzhieva of the Helsinki Committee says. Now it’s about music and culture. Everyone who supports Ukraine must be taken, she says. Inna Sangadzhieva of the Helsinki Committee believes that Russia is becoming an increasingly totalitarian society. Photo: The Helsinki Committee – The message is that anyone can be affected. People must be careful about what they hear and who they support, says Sangadzhieva. New Russian laws After the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, a number of new laws have been introduced in Russia. Among other things, it is illegal to publicly “discredit” the Russian army. In July, a local politician in Moscow was sentenced to seven years in prison for condemning the war in Ukraine. A former editor in Russian state television, Marina Ovsjannikova, was sentenced this summer for defamation of the Russian army. Inna Sangadzhieva says the new laws are open to wide interpretation. Everything that is written about the mobilization can be interpreted as discrediting the Russian forces, she believes. It is also not clear to Russian judges how all the new laws are to be interpreted, she believes.
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