Russian court says a quiz about government corruption is an illegal affront to ‘public morality’

A district court in Tomsk has ordered Russia’s state censor to restrict access to a quiz about government corruption published on the website Snob. According to the ruling posted on the court’s website, the lawsuit was brought by Asino's city prosecutor acting “in the interests of Russia and the general public.”

The Tomsk court determined that Snob published illegal information because the actions described in its quiz are subject to criminal and administrative liability. On these grounds, the court said disseminating such information has a “negative impact on public morality.”

The quiz in question — “How to Take and Give: A Quiz/Manual for Beginner State Officials” — was originally published in November 2017. The text was a response to news reports that corruption cost the Russian federal budget more than 19 billion rubles (now more than $302.3 million) in 2016.