22-year-old blogger could end up being jailed for up to five years for playing Pokemon Go in Church
Niantic’s Pokemon Go has stirred up all sorts of reactions from around the world. Though the reactions are mostly positive but some countries are taking the game too much to their head. First, it was UAE which warned its citizens against playing Pokemon Go and then a few of Mid East countries follows suit. But nobody expected this from Russia.
A 22-year-old Russian blogger could end up being jailed for up to five years after it was alleged that he insulted “religious sensitivities” by playing Pokemon Go in the church.
Ruslan Sokolovsky is a political blogger who regularly posts his opinions on his  YouTube Channel. Sokolovsky also happens to be a Pokemon Go fan and he did something which Russian authorities up in arms against him.
On August 11, he filmed himself playing Pokémon Go in a Yekaterinberg cathedral. The stunt resulted in police searching his home and finding evidence of “incitement to hatred and attacks on the liberty of faith,” Russian authorities claimed.
Finally, he was arrested last Friday and could face a 5-year sentence if convicted. His arrest has evoked strong reactions in Russia but it so happens that Pokemon Go is a no go in the church, voting stations and private property according to local reports.
When arrested, Â Sokolovsky reportedly asked: “How can one offend by entering a church with a smartphone?”
