Opponents of the transfer of the Ryazan Kremlin to the dioceses may face criminal charges for statements on the Internet

Ryazan believers appealed to the prosecutor's office with a request to bring to criminal responsibility opponents of the possible transfer of the complex of the historical and architectural museum-reserve "Ryazan Kremlin". According to the applicants, those who oppose the transfer of the Kremlin to the Church make statements on the Internet ( we are probably talking about the forum of the Ryazan Kremlin - Ed. ) that are incorrect in relation to the Archbishop of Ryazan and Kasimov Pavel, falling under Articles 129 ("slander") and 130 (" insult") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The archbishop himself asks the prosecutor's office not to open a case. However, investigator for especially important cases Dmitry Plotkin warned that in the future the prosecutor’s office may independently decide to bring criminal charges for insult and slander, since technical means make it possible to identify the “culprits.”

Soon after this, teachers from several schools in the city and region who took part in collecting signatures in support of the museum-reserve began to be summoned to the regional prosecutor's office to testify. The head of the press service of the Ryazan Memorial society, Maria Sereda, reported that some teachers were under pressure from the school administration. “There was nothing illegal in the teachers’ actions. The museum-reserve is not a religious or political organization, which means that teachers had every right to ask their students to speak out in its defense. This is as normal as organizing a concert for veterans with school students. Teachers who encourage schoolchildren to participate in the cultural life of the city need to be supported, not intimidated,” said M. Sereda.

Sources

• Believers turned to the prosecutor's office for help // TV company "Ryazan Region". 2006.
• The regional prosecutor's office became “interested” in the supporters of the Ryazan Kremlin museum-reserve in its confrontation with the Ryazan diocese // 7 news agency. 2006. June 2.