Russian YouTuber Khovansky to avoid prison over ‘terrorism justification’ charges

The charges against Yury Khovansky, a Russian YouTuber, have been softened by the court, says Pavel Chikov, the head of Agora, an independent human rights organisation.

“The limitation period has passed, Khovansky will not face criminal punishment even if the courts finds him guilty,” Chikov says.

Yury Khovansky was detained in June 2021. The reason behind the criminal charges against him was his song about the 2002 Moscow theatre hostage crisis when a group of Chechen terrorists took 850 people hostage and eventually killed 171 of them. Yury Khovansky later apologised for singing the song.

The detectives claim Khovansky’s song contained “public calls for terrorist actions and justification of terrorism.” He spent six months in a pre-trial facility and was later released under house arrest conditions.