Culture Minister Alexander Avdeyev spoke against convicting curators who organized the “Forbidden Art” exhibition Monday, saying that while the exhibit was scandalous, it does not amount to a criminal offense, Itar-Tass reported.

Yury Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeyev, organizers of the 2007 exhibition that featured artwork such as a painting of Jesus with the head of Mickey Mouse, are charged with inciting religious hatred, and prosecutors have asked that they be sentenced to three years in prison. A ruling is expected July 12. “I think Samodurov and Yerofeyev have not crossed the law’s ‘red line.’ It was a clumsy attempt to be shocking, but I think the Criminal Code should not be applied here,” Avdeyev said.

(MT)