A court in Buryatia fined two prisoners for using the word “fart,” recogniz...

A court in Buryatia fined two prisoners for using the word “fart,” recognizing it as symbolism of the banned “extremist movement” AUE.

Verstka drew attention to this.

According to the outlet, the prisoners signed postcards with the words “fart” and “With prisoner’s respect.” FSIN officers considered these expressions to be a display of the symbols of an extremist organization. Both men admitted guilt, saying they did not understand the meaning of these words, after which the court fined each of them 1,000 rubles.

As Verstka notes, previously Russian courts and state bodies linked the word “fart” to AUE only as part of fixed expressions, for example “fartu masti.” In this case, the use of the word itself became the grounds for punishment.