Watched more than 1.3 million times since it was posted by Russian comedy group “Plyushki” to YouTube last month, the video comes with a disclaimer.
“Some of the jokes are based on wordplay and do not carry any religious, philosophical, or ideological assertion,” it says, acknowledging that comedy can be arisky business in Russia, where some have been jailed for jokes, particularly if they are thought to be critical of thewar in Ukraine.
“Maybe there’s problems in the country,” one of the comedians said, a nod to the fact that addressing the country’s issues head-on could be dangerous. “There’s a lot of cameras here,” another replied, to laughter from the crowd, because the words for camera and jail cell are the same in Russian.
While there have been no repercussions for the group, others including Artemy Ostanin are not so lucky. The 29-year-old was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison by a Moscow court earlier this month after he was found guilty of inciting hatred for a joke about being tripped up by a disabled person. A second joke about Jesus Christ led to a conviction for offending religious believers.
They were brought to the attention of authorities in March by pro-government activists from a group called Zov Naroda, or Call of the People, which accused him of mocking a fighter who lost his legs in the war in Ukraine — a claim he denied, insisting the joke had been misinterpreted.
Aware that he could be in trouble, Ostanin fled toBelarus, only to be arrested and deported back to Russia. He told the Moscow courtroom that he was severely beaten in a forest and his hair was cut off by Belarusian security services, an independent Russian media outlet, Sota Vision, reported in its trial coverage.
Eva Merkacheva, a member of Russia’s Human Rights Council, also posted a picture on Telegram of Ostanin with heavy bruising and blood on his back.
Belarus’ interior ministry issued a statement on Telegram denying he’d been beaten.
Fellow stand-up Nikolai said his friend was “a convenient target” and the severe sentence was meant to scare other comedians into toeing the line. “It’s easier to harshly punish one person so the others live with the knowledge that it’s best not to take risks,” he told NBC News in an interview earlier this month.
NBC News agreed not to use the last names of the people interviewed inside Russia, over fears for their security.
Source: Drudge Report
