Barnaul protests against Russia's police crackdown on edgy Internet memes

In late July, police announced criminal charges against two Barnaul Internet users, Maria Motuznaya and Daniil Markin, because of memes they shared online. The suspects accused two students at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration of “ratting them out,” but on August 14 the regional Investigative Committee chief denied these claims, saying that the students are merely witnesses in a much larger investigation.

On August 14, between 150 and 200 people in Barnaul picketed against prosecuting Internet users for “extremist memes.” Motuznaya and Markin both attended the rally. Lyudmila Suslova, a deputy in the Altai Krai Legislative Assembly, also protested. The rally had a permit from local officials and publicity thanks to the popular rapper Oxxxymiron.

“We can’t generalize here because every case is unique, and they either fall within the law or they don’t. Of course, we’re aware that there are still cases that can challenge common sense.” — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov comments on the recent surge in criminal prosecutions for offensive and “extremist” Internet posts

In recent years (and especially in recent weeks), police officers have opened criminal cases against Russian Internet users, typically charging individuals with hate speech, extremism, offending religious views, or propagating Nazism. The vast majority of these criminal cases are filed against users of Vkontakte, which surrenders virtually all personal data, whenever requested by law enforcement, according to human rights activists.

On August 6, Vkontakte’s parent company, Mail.ru, publicly condemned these prosecutions. Five days later, Vkontakte announced new options that will allow users greater privacy.