A Moscow court on Monday condemned the film “Innocence of Muslims” as “extremist” – citing a 2002 law regulating public expression – and has forbidden its dissemination on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The court’s decision, which has not yet been announced officially, was revealed on Tuesday by Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov in an interview with Dozhd, a Russian cable and Internet TV channel. Should YouTube not withdraw the film, access to the US video hosting site will be blocked as a result, the Minister explained.
“If Google and Youtube […] do not react to a legal decision by the country’s authorities, the Russian Federation will block access to these resources,” Nikiforov said. “But fortunately, Google and Youtube are socially responsible, law abiding companies. I think they will react to the Moscow court’s ruling,” the minister added.
The Russian state recognizes Islam as a “traditional religion” along with Orthodoxy, Judaism and Buddhism. The country’s Muslim population has been estimated at 15 to 20 million, or approximately 12% of the total population.
Update Dec. 31, 2012
Access to Youtube has been actually blocked in several Russian regions with a significant Muslim population such as Northern Caucasus.
