Russian court rules word "khokhly" as insult

A woman in Buryatia was punished by the court for using the word "khokhly" in correspondence

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The Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Ulan-Ude recognized the use of the word "khokhly" as a manifestation of hostility on ethnic grounds and imposed a fine of 10 thousand rubles on local resident Evgeniya Zandanova. This decision was made under Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which regulates liability for inciting hatred or enmity on the basis of nationality, according to the published case materials.

The incident occurred in a Viber group chat, where Zandanova, having entered into an argument with another participant, wrote: "You are all vile khokhols," and also made a number of other offensive statements using this word. The court qualified these statements as public actions aimed at humiliating dignity on the basis of nationality.

The woman’s attempt to appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court of Buryatia was unsuccessful – the fine was left unchanged.

Earlier, in June, State Duma deputies adopted a law toughening penalties for actions that contribute to the incitement of hatred or enmity and are accompanied by propaganda of violence or threats of its use.

Recently, the FSB detained a Yalta resident for Russophobic comments in Ukrainian chats.