Prosecutors have asked a Moscow court to jail Russian blogger Anton Nosik for two years after he wrote a post calling for the Kremlin to “erase Syria from the face of the earth.”
Nosik was charged with with inciting hatred or
hostility after a criminal investigation was launched in
November last year. Two years is the maximum sentence for the offense.
The blog post called
for Russian forces to carpet bomb the country and justified the death
of civilians. “I will not grieve if Syria is razed to the ground.
Moreover, I will be thankful,” Nosik wrote.
He
was also investigated for comments he made on the Echo Moskvy radio
station.
Nosik
has pleaded not guilty, but
told reporters that some of his comments made to Echo Moskvy may
have “overstepped the mark.”
The blogger had previously announced his intention to run in this month's State Duma elections.
