Moscow: A Moscow court on Monday banned as "extremist" a US-made anti-Islamic film that fed deadly protests across the Arab world but whose showing was backed by human rights supporters in Russia.
Moscow's Tverskoi District judge sided with prosecution arguments presented in court that the low-budget Innocence of Muslims production "promoted the rise of religious intolerance in Russia."
"The prosecution's motion has been satisfied," a court spokeswoman told AFP by telephone.
But liberal activists and some officials urged the authorities to back free expression and not use the controversy to further a clamp down on rights under Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia's human rights ombudsman testified at the hearing Monday that he was against the film's prohibition while a group of artists and liberal media personalities urged Putin not to be swayed by the global militant attacks on US targets.
"The darkest forces of global terrorism are trying to scare our civilisation and force us to accept their will," reads the open letter to Putin.
"Ban neither this film nor any other works of art that disturb religious extremists," it urged.
Moscow's Tverskoi District judge sided with prosecution arguments presented in court that the low-budget Innocence of Muslims production "promoted the rise of religious intolerance in Russia."
"The prosecution's motion has been satisfied," a court spokeswoman told AFP by telephone.
Russia's human rights ombudsman testified at the hearing Monday that he was against the film's prohibition while a group of artists and liberal media personalities urged Putin not to be swayed by the global militant attacks on US targets.
Advertisement
"Ban neither this film nor any other works of art that disturb religious extremists," it urged.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Russia Sentences Ex-US Paratrooper To 13 Years In Jail On Drug Charges Ivan The Terrible: Face Of History's "Cruellest Man" Re-Created 440 Years After His Death Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.