Russia Cracks Down On Websites Streaming 'Violent' Anime

A Russian court in St. Petersburg began cracking down on anime yesterday, banning the websites jut.su and Yummy Anime from streaming some shows due to their violent content. Jut.su is forbidden from streaming Death Note and Tokyo Ghoul while Yummy Anime cannot stream Inuyashiki and Elfen Lied.

After the prosecution screened episodes of the anime to the court, the court deemed that "every episode contains cruelty, murder, violence." St. Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education expert Oleg Erlikh said Death Note was "potentially dangerous for a modern child."

The ruling is the first in what could potentially be a massive crackdown on anime streaming in Russia. In mid-December, five lawsuits were filed against 49 Russian sites distributing anime. Naruto and Interspecies Reviewers are among the other anime to be examined by the court.

The ban only affects certain websites and the anime are still widely available elsewhere in the country. However, Erlikh noted that Russia’s censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, could interpret the ban to be more encompassing.