Index on Censorship » poland

Polish rocker faces religious offence charge

Padraig Reidy — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:38:13 +0000

Polish heavy metal singer Adam Darski, AKA Nergal, could face two years in prison for tearing a bible on stage. Nergal, singer with Behemoth, performed the stunt in 2007, before descrbing the Catholic church as “”the most murderous cult on the planet”. A court found has found that the act could be in violation of polish law as it “offended religious feelings”. Prosecutors may now pursue a criminal case. In 2009, Polish pop singer Doda was fined after she said the Bible “was written by someone drunk on wine and smoking some herbs”.

READ: FIVE BIZARRE BLASPHEMY CASES

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Belarus: Journalist convicted of defaming Lukashenko loses appeal

Alice Purkiss — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:05:02 +0000

A journalist convicted of defaming the president of Belarus has lost his appeal. Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut from Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza was found guilty of the defamation of President Alexander Lukashenko in July, and the Hrodna Oblast Court in western Belarus upheld the verdict against him yesterday. Poczobut was given a three year prison sentence, suspended for two years. The journalist argued that his rights were violated during the trial by KGB investigators and the prosecutor’s office. Poczobut said he would continue appealing the conviction throughout the system, up to and including the UN.

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Poland: Metal singer cleared over Bible-ripping performance

Marta Cooper — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:41:11 +0000

A Polish judge has found a death metal singer not guilty of offending religious feeling, ruling that his act of ripping up a Bible during a show was a form of artistic expression. Adam Darski, who goes by the stage name Nergal and is the frontman for Behemoth, was charged after he tore up the book during a 2007 concert in Gdynia, northern Poland. He was cleared by a court last year but prosecutors appealed the verdict, though Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski said that the court had no intention of limiting freedom of expression or the right to criticise religion.

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