MOSCOW, September 9. (Itar-Tass). – A criminal case has been opened against Bloodhound Gang musicians for desecration of the Russian flag. According to Russian Investigative Committee official representative Vladimir Markin, “in accordance with the pre-investigation check results the Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee has opened criminal proceedings against musicians of US-based Bloodhound Gang act James Moyer Franks, Jared Victor Hennegan and other unidentified persons under part 2 of article 282 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation (agitation of hatred or feud, as well as abasement of human dignity, committed by an organized group).”
Markin explained that in accordance with article 12 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation foreign residents that don’t stay permanently in Russia and that have committed the crime outside of Russia are subject to criminal liability under Russia’s Penal Code in cases, when the crime inflicts the interest of Russia or its citizen.
“In this regard the investigation is currently solving the issue of organizing the retrieval of suspects Franks and Hennegan,” Markin noted.
In early August the American punk band triggered a row by obscene antics of bass player Jared Hasselhoff with the Russian flag on a show in Odessa. The police filed criminal proceedings upon desecration of the Russian flag. The Investigative Committee of Russia initiated its own check into the fact of desecration. August 3, Bloodhound Gang left Russia since the Federal Migration Service reduced their allowed term in Russia upon law violation.
“As the investigation believes, musicians Franks, Hennegan and other unidentified persons have criminally conspired to commit activity in order to abase human dignity of Russian citizens on national principle and have formed into a criminal group with this purpose,” Markin went on saying. “To do so the musicians found the Russian national flag, taking into account that Franks and Hennegan understood their performances would be public and recorded on camera, so that their actions would become known and receive public uproar.”
“July 30 in the Green Theatre night club in Kiev during his performance Franks started to shout out offensive expressions in English towards Russia. D. Hennegan was sharing the stage with him at this moment, as did other musicians, and backed his illegal act,” Markin said. “July 31 in Ibiza club in Odessa musician of Bloodhound Gang Hennegan together with Franks and other accomplices continuing to implement their joint criminal intent committed on stage indecent acts with the national flag of the Russian Federation that inflicted the national dignity of Russian citizens.”
In accordance with the conclusion of the comprehensive psycho-linguistic forensic, Hennegan’s actions involving the national flag of Russia “are derogatory in nature and can be perceived as a desecration of a national symbol, touch and humiliate the national feelings of the Russians."
“In addition, Franks’s statement is qualified as an abusive, incorrect and derogatory towards members of a single nation, uniting all people living in the territory of Russia”, Markin said.
The article, under which the criminal case was filed, is punishable by corrective labor or imprisonment for a maximum term of up to five years.