Russia: Yakut Stand-Up Comic Fined in Absentia for Joking About Forced Conversion
Photo: Instagram of Nyurgun Atakova
The Yakutsk City Court has fined stand-up comedian Nyurgun Atakov 10,000 rubles for inciting hatred and humiliating dignity based on ethnicity, Orda.kz reports, citing Yakutia.Info.
The case was triggered by a video of Atakov’s performance, shared in September last year on the Telegram channel “Torboznoye Radio.”
In the clip, the comedian reflects on discrimination against Yakuts in Russia and offers a personal critique of the country’s historical narrative — particularly regarding the forced Christianization of Indigenous peoples.
They made slaves out of Africans, almost all Indians were exterminated. And they made Orthodox people out of us. It would have been better if they had killed us, he said in the routine.
Following the video’s circulation, the case was handed over to Yakutia’s Center for Strategic Studies. The center concluded that Atakov’s remarks contained signs of humiliating the Russian nation. The Yakutsk prosecutor’s office opened an administrative case on June 16 and found him guilty on July 3.
Atakov did not attend the hearing. He has been living and working in Kazakhstan for the past three years, where he continues performing and hosting a YouTube show exploring the culture and identity of Turkic peoples.
Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova
Latest news
- Billions Are Going to Agricultural Science in Kazakhstan, but Deputies Say It Is Still Not Enough
- Kazakhstan Sets New Rules for Film Review Before Release
- State Seizes Tanker, Refinery and Fuel From Aktau Smuggling Group
- Morocco Raises Billions for Fertilizers, Counting on Sulfur From Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan’s Akimats Lead in Number of Corruption Cases, Analysts Say
- Kazakhstan Has Failed to Create Proper Conditions for Visually Impaired Schoolchildren, Deputy Says
- Small Business Under Threat? Deputies Challenge New Procurement Rules
- Kazakhstan Sentences Activists Over Burning Chinese Flags and Xi Portrait
- 340 Billion Tenge in Debt and Months of Waiting: Are Farmers Being Offered Digital Promises Instead of Real Help?
- Construction of a New Thermal Power Plant Begins in Semey
- Plane Hits Dog While Landing in Shymkent
- Kazakhstan to Train White Hat Hackers and AI Engineers to Protect Energy Infrastructure
- Middle East Conflict Puts Kazakhstan-Iran Joint Projects on Hold
- Kazakhstanis’ Spending on Pet Treatment Has Nearly Tripled
- Kazakhstan and the UK to Develop Rare Earth Metals Cooperation
- Moldova Sets Date for Formal Exit From the CIS
- Kazakhstan Ratifies Amendments to Legal Assistance Conventions
- South Korea to Import Oil From Kazakhstan, but Saudi Arabia Remains the Main Supplier
- Kazakhstan Remains Vulnerable to Mudflows, Deputy Says
- Russia and Azerbaijan Agree on Compensation After AZAL Crash Near Aktau
