There’s a time and place for everything, like when to use your phone and when not to use it. Now using your phone while in a place of worship is usually frowned upon simply because it looks rude and it can be distracting for those who are there to pray or to listen to a sermon. However it seems that over in Russia, it could land you in jail.
Russian YouTuber Ruslan Sokolovsky has recently found himself in a spot of trouble with the law after he uploaded a vlog of himself playing Pokemon GO while in a church, which according to the laws in the country is considered to be illegal. Anyone caught doing so could be fined up to half a million rubles and could even face up to 3 years in jail, which is something that Sokolovsky is facing at the moment.
According to Sokolovsky, the reason behind his vlog was to point out how he thought that the law was a bit silly, but apparently it backfired and he was charged for allegedly inciting religious hatred. The prosecutor for the case is also calling for Sokolovsky to be jailed. Speakling to the TASS news agency, “I believe that there is no reason to exempt the defendant from liability. There is also no reason to sentence him to a fine … I request that the court sentence him to 3.5 years in a penal colony.”
Sokolovsky has since made a statement which reads, “I do not consider myself an extremist, maybe I’m an idiot, but not in any way an extremist.” The verdict is expected to be passed on the 11th of May.