Crimeans given three months to voluntarily hand in banned literature

“We are conducting explanatory work, we need to give them a period to adapt: three months. During this period we will calmly carry out educational measures via television, a list of literature which is banned for use today on the territory of the Russian Federation will be published in media,” said Sergey Aksionov.

Simferopol – Crimeans have to hand in the books which are on the federal list of banned extremist materials within the next three months, reported head of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksionov on Tuesday. Earlier Muslim families from several districts of the peninsula turned to Aksionov with the complaint that their homes had been searched with the goal of confiscating religious literature. The collision arose out of the fact that an entire list of literature which was allowed in Ukraine, is considered banned in Russia. The list of banned religious and extremist books never reached the Crimeans. On Monday Aksionov stated that the measures to search and confiscated banned literature in Crimea have been suspended temporarily. “We are conducting explanatory work, we need to give them a period to adapt: three months. During this period we will calmly carry out educational measures via television, a list of literature which is banned for use today on the territory of the Russian Federation will be published in media,” said Sergey Aksionov. He also emphasized that starting January 1 all the procedures for confiscation of banned literature will be carried out in accordance with Russian legislation. [sic] Crimea became a Russian region after the referendum held in March, at which the majority of the population expressed their will to join Russia. The interim period for Crimea’s integration to Russia will end by January 1, 2015.