Comedian banned from Russia files lawsuit, hoping to regain residence access
Standup comedian Idrak Mirzalizade is suing Russia’s Interior Ministry, demanding that the agency rescind its decision to prohibit his residence in Russia. Last month, the agency designated Mirzalizade as a threat to Russia’s public order and declared him “undesirable for life.”
The designation followed the comedian’s jokes about ethnic Russians, which officials say amount to dangerous hate speech. While appearing on a YouTube show this spring, he talked about racist discrimination in Moscow’s housing market and remarked that “Russians apparently smear shit on themselves and go to sleep” in a joke about dirty mattresses.
Immediately after the controversial jokes, Mirzalizade spent 10 days in jail and then left the country. He had received a Russian resident permit as recently as March 2021.
