A Russian journalist is set to be tried for “controlling minds” and “affecting the human subconscious.”
The reasoning behind these charges is that he referenced George Orwell’s novel 1984 in an article about the alleged torture of an academic, the Daily Mail reported.
The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that police from Russia’s Republic of Sakha suspected Mikhail Romanov, a reporter for Yakutsk Vecherniy Weekly, of attempting to tap into the reader’s subconscious.
However, Romanov’s editor responded, saying, “This [1984] is a story about how anyone can be squashed by the government machine. It’s also about how Big Brother is watching, reading all comments on online forums.”
The Russian Union of Journalists also came to the support of Romanov, releasing a statement that said, “Even someone without a literary education understands that this was only in reference to George Orwell’s ‘1984’.”
If found guilty, Romanov could face a fine anywhere from 2,000-50,000 rubles (roughly $30-$780).
The case marks the first time a journalist will be tried under Russia’s new legislation, which punishes those perceived to have published information “containing hidden insertions affecting the human subconscious.”
