August 18, 2014
Anti-Gay Neo-Nazi Russian Leader Sentenced to 5 Years
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 3 MIN.
The head of the Russian-based anti-gay/neo-Nazi vigilante group "Occupy Pedophilia," which reportedly abused LGBT youth after luring them via social media, was sentenced Friday to five years in a Russian penal colony, according to LGBTQ Nation.
Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich was found guilty of "inciting and fomenting cases of extremism," LGBTQ Nation writes, after he posted videos to Russia's social media site VKontakte (VK.com) that featured racial slurs and extremist opinions on Russia's state of the union. The news site notes that his videos that had anti-gay rhetoric and abuse were not included in the prosecutor's case against him.
Martsinkevich, also known as "Teask" (Russian for "cleaver"), made headlines in January for fleeing Russia for Cuba after he had been spending months running away from Russian authorities for the crimes charged against him. He initially fled to Ukraine but eventually settled on hiding out in Cuba.
On Christmas last year, he took to VK.com to write a plea message:
"Attention! Official dispatch from Freedom Island (i.e. Cuba)!
An offer regarding the investigation and trial.
The case against me is very unusual. There are no victims. No damages. The investigation was done by incompetents. The crimes were committed virtually. I was charged without being present. I was arrested in absentia.
Contrary to Interpol statutes, there has been an international arrest warrant issued in my name. I do not recognize my guilt. I am currently in Latin America and do not have the money to return to Russia.
Given the above and thinking logically, I ask the following:
To hold the questioning and trial in the open for the mass media to observe, with me being present via Skype. In case of conviction, I offer to serve the prison term virtually, by placing an avatar behind bars for the amount of time designated by the court.
That would be fair and just, and would help bring about legal innovation.
If you agree, repost this message.
Sincerely, Maxim Martsinkevich"
Martsinkevich was in Cuba for about a month before he was arrested in the Caribbean country. He was sent back to Russia, where he was arrested by Russian police and charged with crimes under article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code, which is the incitement of hatred or enmity and human dignity with violence.
A number of reports out of Russia surfaced in late 2013, which claimed Martsinkevich's "Occupy Pedophilia" lured LGBT youth via social media and then tortured them on video. The group would film the teens and then show the clips to the victims' families, friends and school via social media, effectively outing them.
In one report, Martsinkevich tortured an openly gay contestant of Ukraine's "The X Factor."
LGBTQ Nation reports other members of "Occupy Pedophilia" are currently on trial for their involvement in anti-gay crimes.
"According to the prosecutor's office in the Kamensk-Uralsky region, a court on August 8 approved the indictment in a criminal case against nine members of the group," LGBTQ Nation writes. The nine members are accused of "committing crimes under several articles of the Criminal Code, namely organization of an extremist community and membership in an extremist community, beatings and other acts of violence, the threat of murder and causing grievous bodily harm, intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm, torture and robbery."
The case against the members of the group are slated to be heard in court in September.
