Week-ending 3 September 2021
This week Russia banned stand-up comedian, Idrak Mirzalizade, from Russia for life on account of a joke he told that the Russian authoritiies consider insulting to ethnic Russians.
Sources:
Human Rights Watch, 30 August 2021: In an outrageous move, the Russian Interior Ministry announced today it has banned a stand-up comedian, Idrak Mirzalizade, from Russia for life, over a joke he told which Russian authorities consider insulting to ethnic Russians.
RFE/RL, 30 August 2021: Russia’s Interior Ministry has banned a stand-up comic of Azerbaijani origin, Idrak Mirzalizade, from entering and residing in the country for life over his on-stage joke about Russians.
The Moscow Times, 30 August 2021: Russia has issued an expulsion order against a popular Belarusian comedian after ruling he insulted ethnic Russians in a stand-up routine. Mirzalizade had sparked controversy with a joke on a popular YouTube show this spring, where he told a story about non-Slavs facing discrimination when trying to rent apartments in Moscow.
