Three Russian Websites Warned Over Muhammad Caricatures

Russian state media watchdog Roskomnadzor has issued official warnings to three websites in Russia for publication of caricatures depicting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The agency said on January 21 that RB.ru, RUNews24.ru and Leoblinform.ru had been warned for reposting Muhammad caricatures by Paris-based Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Earlier this week, Roskomnadzor issued a similar warning to the Respublika website.

According to the agency, the second warning of that kind this year will lead to withdrawal of the websites' licenses.

Last week, the agency warned domestic media against "fanning sectarian tensions in Russian society" by republishing cartoons by Charlie Hebdo and encouraged Russian media to use "other forms of solidarity" with the victims of the deadly attack by Islamist extremists on Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris earlier in January.

Based on reports by Interfax and Ekho Moskvy