Although Pokemon GO's popularity may certainly be waning, it's still proving to be popular in certain parts of the world.

While many countries are treating the mobile game with a certain amount of ambivalence, other countries and leaders are speaking out against. Just recently, a Muslim cleric issued a fatwa against Pokemon and Pokemon GO whilst, in Russia, a man is facing five years in jail for playing in a Russian Orthodox church.

Ruslan Sokovsky, a popular gaming vlogger based in Russia, was arrested and charged yesterday after he made and uploaded a video to YouTube on August 11th in which he derided Russia's recent ban on playing Pokemon GO inside of churches.

Much like Ireland, Russia has incredibly strict laws regarding blasphemy and religion. However, where our laws impose fines, Russia imposes jail time. Sokovsky's video was watched over 766,000 times and showed him playing and catching Pokemon GO in a local Orthodox church.

A spokesperson for the police department in Yekaterinburg said that Sokovksky should be imprisoned for five years at a minimum in order to deter other players and discourage blasphemy. Police raided Sokovsky's house on Friday morning and charged with him mockery of religious beliefs yesterday.

Under Russian law, a person who commits "clear disrespect for religion" can be either fined 300,000 rubles per year for a period of two years, ordered to do community service for two years or imprisoned for the same time.

 

Via Meduza.io