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Russia Turns New Law Against Kremlin Critics
Andrei Piontkovsky, whose books are alleged to insult various groups and incite violence, told reporters outside court that the case was "absurd" and "primitive."
(By Peter Finn -- The Washington Post)
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What the report failed to mention, according to Alexander Kobrinsky, a professor of philology at St. Petersburg State University and an expert witness for the defense, is that Piontkovsky was actually quoting Putin when he used the words "incite hatred."
"Any features of extremism should be demonstrated by concrete sentences or statements," Kobrinsky said. "There is nothing like that. . . . Unlike the experts, I read Piontkovsky's books."
Neither the prosecutor nor the reports she cited explained why Piontkovsky's work incites hatred against Americans and Jews.
Piontkovsky said he believes it relates to a section in one book where he criticized a Russian politician who said the radical Palestinian group Hamas is not recognized as a terrorist organization by Russia because it doesn't commit terrorist acts in Russia.
"Of course, they're not terrorists because they only kill Jews and Americans," Piontkovsky wrote sarcastically.
Judge Svetlana Klimova ruled that she needed another expert opinion on the books before deciding if they are extremist. She ordered the Russian Federal Center of Legal Expertise to carry it out. The center is part of the Justice Ministry.
