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Russian Blogger Arrested for “Inciting Hatred” by Playing Pokemon Go in Church

Russian Blogger Arrested for “Inciting Hatred” by Playing Pokemon Go in Church

russian blogger arrested

From the day Pokémon Go was released, it was clear that the world was going to experience a phenomenon. Within 13 hours of its launch, the app was already #1 in the top-grossing list in the US!

It hasn’t been all fun and games for the app’s makers and players, though. We’ve heard about complaints of server crashes (oh, what a problem), and worse, stories about petty crime. And, even worse, accidents that led to injuries and even death.

In spite of all this, it doesn’t seem that Pokémon is going anywhere anytime soon. Unfortunately, some of the controversy that has been associated with the game is not disappearing as well.

Just the other day, Pokémon Go “found itself” in an Indian court – even if the game hasn’t been officially released in the country yet! So, why is it being “sued”? The BBC reports:

Augmented reality game Pokemon Go has landed up in an Indian court over allegations it is hurting the religious sentiments of millions of vegetarians.

The high court in Gujarat state was asked to ban the game because its images of eggs in places of worship were “blasphemous” to Hindus and Jains.

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But that’s not it. Over the weekend, an individual has actually been charged AND detained because of the game. Russian blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky played Pokémon Go in church at Yekaterinburg and posted a video on YouTube of his activities during prayer time in a cathedral. This happened in August, after Russia had already stated that people playing the game in churches or at the country’s borders may face arrest and jail time.

In response to the blogger’s detainment, the online community has created the hashtag #FreeSokolovsky.

 

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