Russian prosecutors seek ‘Innocence of Muslims’ ban

The Prosecutor General’s Office has declared the film “Innocence of Muslims” extremist and will seek a court ruling to ban the controversial video in Russia, its spokeswoman said on Monday.

Before a court ruling the Prosecutor General’s Office has instructed the federal mass communications watchdog “to take measures to prevent media distribution of the information contained in this film,” she said.

The watchdog has already recommended that Russian Internet providers block access to the film, which portrays Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad in a negative light.

Senator Ruslan Gattarov filed a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office earlier on Monday asking to prohibit the online demonstration of the film, which sparked riots across the Muslim world last week.

“Obviously, the purpose of this film’s promoters is a religious split of the society, which can have far-reaching consequences,” the senator said.

The 14-minute trailer to "Innocence of Muslims" was originally posted on YouTube last June. It attracted little attention until Sept. 8, when portions of the trailer were broadcast by a television network in Egypt.

Google, which owns YouTube, has denied a request from the U.S. government to remove the video, saying it does not violate the website’s terms of use.

First published in RIA Novosti.

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