Russian Comedian Assaulted by Police Amid Controversy Over Viral Joke

Police officers assaulted Russian stand-up comedian Artemyi Ostanin in Belarus during his arrest this week, which was connected to a controversial joke about a disabled individual, according to a member of Russia’s presidential human rights council on Thursday.

Russian authorities have filed criminal charges against Ostanin for allegedly inciting hatred after pro-war bloggers took offense at one of his performances in February. In that set, he made a joke about being run over by a homeless person who had «hit a mine» and had been «skateboarding without legs for 20 years» in the Moscow metro.

Ostanin’s attorney, Veronika Polyakova, reported that Belarusian law enforcement officers struck him with batons and shocked him with stun guns in a forest before handing him over to Russian officials, as stated by human rights council member Eva Merkacheva.

A photo shared by Merkacheva on Telegram depicted Ostanin’s back marked with bruises and welts consistent with baton strikes.

Medical professionals diagnosed him with a fractured spine, breathing difficulties, and several bruises and cuts, according to Merkacheva. He was also found to have trouble breathing due to an abnormal accumulation of air between his lung and chest wall.

Despite his injuries, a Moscow court ruled on Tuesday that Ostanin must remain in pre-trial detention until May 15. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence of up to six years.

Ostanin maintains that his February joke was misinterpreted and was not aimed at a veteran of the Ukraine war, as claimed by pro-war bloggers.

Initially, Russian investigators stated that Ostanin had insulted a Ukraine war veteran, but later omitted any mention of military service in their arrest announcement.

Merkacheva noted that Ostanin has called for an official investigation into the treatment he received during his arrest, emphasizing that Russian authorities did not employ physical force against him.

“He’s a Russian citizen, and we need to defend his rights that were violated in a foreign country,” Merkacheva declared.

Ostanin is among only ten individuals facing criminal charges for inciting hatred since 2022, when Russia escalated its suppression of dissent following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the exiled news agency Agentstvo.