And now in a closed court session he’s been sentenced to three years in prison.
According to Reuters:
- - - - - - - - -Belarus jailed on Friday for three years an editor of an independent newspaper who reproduced cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad which first appeared in Denmark in 2005 and caused mass demonstrations across the Muslim world.
The 12 cartoons portraying the founder of Islam, including one showing Prophet Mohammad with a bomb in his turban, outraged Muslims who saw them as blasphemous. More than 50 people died in protests across the world the following year.
Belarussian authorities shut down the "Zgoda" (Consensus) paper in March 2006, around the time when other European journals began reprinting the cartoons. The security service, still known by its Soviet-era name, the KGB, began an investigation after Muslims in the ex-Soviet state complained.
Editor Alexander Sdvizhkov was sentenced to three years in jail in a closed session of the court for incitement of religious and national hatred [just like Lionheart in Britain — BB].
"May God and the holy cross be with us," Sdvizhkov said afterwards. His lawyer said she would appeal.
Muslims constitute about two or three percent of the 10 million residents of the country wedged between Russia and three members of the European Union. The Muslim community had called for leniency in the case.
President Alexander Lukashenko is accused by the West of ruling the country with an iron grip, jailing opponents, shutting down independent media and rigging polls, including his own re-election to a third term in 2006.
Hat tip: Holger Danske.
19 comments:
In his book Allegations, slain ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko posthumously makes the outrageous claim that Vladimir Putin actively promotes terrorism and Al Qaeda directly. It would be impossible to believe except for the infamous hubris of the Russian kleptocratic regime.
“Alexander revealed, in his articles and interviews included in the Allegations, that at least two notorious Al Qaeda terrorists are secret agents of the FSB – one of whom, Aiman al Zawahiri, is bin Laden’s second-in-command.”
Pavel Stroilov who is stumping the book in Litvinenkos stead further opines: “what would happen if the truth about Moscow’s hand in organisations like Al Qaeda is made public(?). … Rather than being ‘lions of Allah’, as they call each other, they would be exposed as moles of Putin. After that, suicide bombers would probably think twice before obeying their orders.”
Everybody thinks that they can control the religious zealots of Islam, but like opening Pandora’s Box, as Pakistan soon found out, the Jihad djinni is hard to put back in the bottle.
"Muslims constitute about two or three percent of the 10 million residents of the country wedged between Russia and three members of the European Union. "
I am puzzled... Could this be right? Who would they be? Where would they come from? This sounds fishy to me.
Felice:
Tatars, most probably. Stalin scattered them pretty well all over the Soviet Union.
"Felice:
Tatars, most probably. Stalin scattered them pretty well all over the Soviet Union."
I know there are a lot of Tatars in Russia with their own republic, Tatarstan. There are also Crimean Tatars in the Ukraine, who are causing a lot of trouble there. I haven't heard of a sizeable Tatar population in Belarus. 2-3% of 10 million is 200-300 thousand- That's a LOT! Hm...
According to Wikipedia, there are 20 000 Tatars in Belarus. Even that sounds like an inflated number to me. But even if it's true, this is a far cry from 200 000 to 300 000 thousand. i think muslims like to exaggerate their numbers.
Just like Kanukistan .....
"President Alexander Lukashenko is accused by the West of ruling the country with an iron grip, jailing opponents, shutting down independent media and rigging polls, including his own re-election to a third term in 2006."
Sounds like the KGB alright. Russia, the fourth reich?
Next stop, Anatoli Golitsyn.
You have to love the irony of these laws - the cartoons did not incite non-Muslims to religious hatred; rather, they incited the religious hatred of Muslims towards non-Muslims.
"Mr" thats too true the people who publish them are more likely to end up like van gogh then any feigned affront.
If anything they should lock people up because they gave the religion of perpetual outrage one more reason to kill burn etc, like they need one.
Funny ommag just what I was thinking,
Yes, I found the numbers to be inflated too. It is impossible that Belarus is 2% muslim. Muslims are less there.
I don't belive that the person who went to jail, went to jail because of the cartoons. Maybe he was an annoying journalist to the powers of the country and the cartoons were only a pretext to encarcerate him.
I know that somebody who talks about Chernobyl in Belarus get in trouble with "the powerfull" there.
Maybe that's the case.
Is there any Belarussian or Russian who can elucidate us?
But, why the hell are Americans so anti Russian?
Why? I can not get it! Russia is an ally, not an enemy! Please explain me, I would be thankfull.
And your surprised by this? Belarus's President Lukashenko is Stalin lite. It took three years? that spinning sound you hear, and think is your hard drive? not so. That's Stalin spinning in his grave at 3,600 RPM.
I can not get it! Russia is an ally, not an enemy!
If Russia is an "ally", why is Putin sending long range bombers into our continental air defense regions, causing us to send out fighter escort to make sure they don't make a wrong turn at Thule? that's not something "allies" do, you know. Not to mention it is ecologocially harmful - he's wasting an awful lot of AV gas.
There's an interesting legal aspect to theses laws. Specifically, Muslim rage, not lawmakers or citizens, effectively controls the scope of the law. That is, in response to a given statement, if even one Muslim anywhere in the world commits a violent act, then the person who made the statement instantaneously becomes a criminal. Further, note that the laws have no jurisdictional requirement for where the incitement (Muslim rage) occurs, only that it offend a Muslim somewhere.
A newspaper publisher being incarcerated in Belarus seems to me to be a "dog bites man" story.
The "man bites dog" story comes when a publisher (or blogger) gets imprisoned or criminally charged in Great Britain.
See the cartoons here. It's time to revive the Mo-toons blogburst!
"If Russia is an "ally", why is Putin sending long range bombers into our continental air defense regions, causing us to send out fighter escort to make sure they don't make a wrong turn at Thule? that's not something "allies" do, you know. Not to mention it is ecologocially harmful - he's wasting an awful lot of AV gas."
Well, I didn't knew that.
And I am sorry for that.
I could argue that America is not contributing to Russian security.
I just am profoundly sorry that those two great powers can not cooperate, specially now that Russia has a so "good" regime.
They will cooperate when it get extreem. Pitty.
The security service, still known by its Soviet-era name, the KGB, began an investigation after Muslims in the ex-Soviet state complained.
Zero surprise. Soviet communists bear much responsibility for the emergence of modern terrorism.
In May 18th, 1967, Yuri Andropov took over the leadership of the KGB. The Russian security services evolved into a state within the Soviet state, as it became clear when Andropov became the communist party’s general secretary after Leonid Brezhnev’s death, in 1982. During Andropov’s era, which was far longer than that of any other KGB chief, the Soviet secret services supported international terrorism through satellite states and Marxist "liberation fronts". "On becoming chairman of the KGB in 1967, Andropov immediately announced his intention to revive KGB ‘special actions’ as an essential tool of Soviet policy during the Cold War."
In December 1967, a Lebanese Christian, George Habash, who had been a Pan-Arabic national socialist, had broadened his field by founding the PFLP, a Palestinian organization. Although it split already by the next year, the PFLP remained the most pro-Soviet Palestinian terrorist group, with widest global ties. It caused the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party to adopt the Palestinian cause in 1968. In July 1970, Andropov allowed the first direct Soviet arms delivery to the PFLP. From that on, both the KGB and - perhaps even more so - the Russian military intelligence, GRU, provided Palestinian terrorists with arms and training.
Tune in, turn on, Andropov.
When history finally judges the USSR, it will be a foregone conclusion that Soviet communists were the 20th century's most destructive force bar none. Political turmoil, terrorism, ecological disasters, human rights abuse and crimes against humanity will damn communism in all its forms. China cheerfully continues in Stalin's blood soaked footsteps.
Islamic terror—whose birth communism attended like some evil fairy—will prove a 21st century match for the Soviets. From all appearances, neither will be taken anywhere near as seriously as they should be. Once again, this will be at the free world's peril.
Islamofascist-Dhimmi Axis Assault on Free Speech
Muslims Against Sharia strongly denounce President Lukashenko and his KGB thugs for imprisoning Alexander Sdvizhkov. While most of former Soviet Republics are embracing Democracy and Reform, Belarus continues to enforce fascist rules of communist era. Muslims Against Sharia demand immediate release of Alexander Sdvizhkov and reinstatement of "Zgoda" newspaper.
But Alexander Sdvizhkov is not alone. The latest casualties of Islamofascist-Dhimmi Axis Assault on Free Speech include Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, Fouad al-Farhan, Joe Kaufman, Alexander Sdvizhkov, Mark Steyn, and TomaShot. Are you going to be next? http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2008/01/islamofascist-dhimmi-axis-assault-on.html
If I want news the media will not print - I have to come to the Gates of Vienna - Just FYI, I linked to your article from The Right to Insult Muslims
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