A Russian man is facing years in prison for sharing Rammstein's sexually explicit music video for "Pussy" on social media.
Andrei Borovikov, an environmentalist and former Alexei Navalny campaign coordinator, shared the video on Russian social network Vkontakte way back in 2014. Last September, though, authorities formally charged Borovikov with "production and distribution of pornography" after they were tipped off by a volunteer at Borikov's office.
If convicted, he faces three years in a high-security penal colony, according to Amnesty International UK.
UPDATE (4/29, 1:50 p.m. ET): Andrei Borovikov has now been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sharing Rammstein's "Pussy" video.
Amnesty International's Moscow office director Natalia Zviagina has called the case against Borovikov "utterly absurd" and a "mockery of justice," explaining that "it is blatantly obvious that he is being punished solely for his activism, not his musical taste."
"This is not the first time the Russian authorities have used an overbroad definition of 'pornography' as a pretext for locking up their critics," Zviagina said in a statement. "The Russian government surely has better things to do than try its hand as a cultural critic."
She added: "We call for all charges against him to be dropped."
A Russian court will deliver its verdict tomorrow (April 29), determining whether Borovikov will go free.
Revisit the extremely NSFW Rammstein music video below.
Andrei Borovikov, an environmentalist and former Alexei Navalny campaign coordinator, shared the video on Russian social network Vkontakte way back in 2014. Last September, though, authorities formally charged Borovikov with "production and distribution of pornography" after they were tipped off by a volunteer at Borikov's office.
If convicted, he faces three years in a high-security penal colony, according to Amnesty International UK.
UPDATE (4/29, 1:50 p.m. ET): Andrei Borovikov has now been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sharing Rammstein's "Pussy" video.
Amnesty International's Moscow office director Natalia Zviagina has called the case against Borovikov "utterly absurd" and a "mockery of justice," explaining that "it is blatantly obvious that he is being punished solely for his activism, not his musical taste."
"This is not the first time the Russian authorities have used an overbroad definition of 'pornography' as a pretext for locking up their critics," Zviagina said in a statement. "The Russian government surely has better things to do than try its hand as a cultural critic."
She added: "We call for all charges against him to be dropped."
A Russian court will deliver its verdict tomorrow (April 29), determining whether Borovikov will go free.
Revisit the extremely NSFW Rammstein music video below.
