HRW: Russia introduces censorship of youth music

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has made a statement in the context of cancellation of concerts and authorities' interference into the concert activities of groups and performers popular among young people in various Russian regions, including Northern Caucasus.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 22, 2018, the rapper Khaski (Dmitry Kuznetsov) was detained in Krasnodar while performing a song on a car roof. His concerts were cancelled in a number of Russian regions, including Volgograd.

Popular performers are forced to cancel their performances, which is a violation of the freedom of self-expression, the HRW has stated in a release posted on its website on February 28.

In October-December 2018, at least 36 concerts in various cities were cancelled due to authorities' interference, the HRW has stated, citing the data from the edition named "Meduza".

"In most cases, authorities voiced out the need to comply with the legislation on the protection of minors from propaganda of suicides, drugs and other harmful substances," the release states, adding that when banning concerts, authorities also refer to the ban on gay propaganda.

"Under the guise of protecting children from harmful information, bureaucrats are trying to impose censorship in music," Tatiana Lokshina, the HRW's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, has commented on the trend, as quoted by the authors of the release.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 1, 2019 at 07:00 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.