A St. Petersburg tattoo artist has been charged with offending religious believers with her tattoos of Jesus Christ and other Christian symbols deemed “blasphemous,” the Fontanka news website has reported.
Daria Krichker, 24, whose tattoos depict cats and anime characters alongside religious imagery, was detained at Pulkovo Airport on Saturday as she was attempting to flee to Armenia to escape a harassment campaign organized by influential conservative religious activists.
Fontanka said, without citing its sources, that Krichker was on Sunday banned from leaving Russia pending her trial.
Krichker faces up to one year in prison if found guilty of offending the feelings of religious believers.
“Don’t worry about me, there’s no point,” Krichker wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
According to Fontanka, the conservative Orthodox group Sorok Sorokov (Forty Forties) had sent a request to law enforcement authorities to probe Krichker for photos of “sacrilegious” tattoos portraying Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Orthodox Church.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
