A Russian YouTuber is facing jail for playing Pokemon Go in church. Ruslan Sokolovsky, a popular vlogger with over 300,000 subscribers, filmed himself playing the mobile game on his iPhone within the Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg at the height of the game’s popularity last August.
The video, which now has 1.6 million views on YouTube, was deemed “extremist.” Russian authorities charged him with inciting hatred and offending religious sensitivities, detaining him for two months. His trial began on Monday. If convicted, he could face up to seven and a half years in jail.
In his video (via the Guardian), the Sokolovsky referred to news reports warning that players could be jailed for playing the game in church—and did exactly what the warnings said not to in the mistaken belief that it wasn’t against the law.
Sokolovsky asked: “How can one offend by entering a church with a smartphone?”
“I decided to just catch some Pokemon in church because, why not? I believe it’s both safe and not prohibited by law. Let’s go,” he said.
Sokolovsky, who’s been compared to French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, later made a series of follow-up videos to talk about the reaction, which were picked up by Russian media outlets.
Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman decried the charges against the vlogger, calling it a “disgrace.” You “can’t arrest a man for idiocy,” the mayor argued.
Russian punk band Pussy Riot also created a hashtag called #FreeSokolovsky defending the young vlogger.
Speaking in court on Monday, Sokolovsky said he has no intention of apologizing for the video or asking for forgiveness from the Russian Orthodox Church.
“The Russian Orthodox Church is asking for a public repentance. I don’t see why I should repent in front of an organization I do not like,” said Sokolovsky, the Moscow Times reported.
However, he added that he would accept it if the church asked him to work at one of their charities as a form of punishment “because I would be helping specific people and not the Church.” He also said he is ready to apologize to specific individuals if his actions offended them.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.