Terentyev’s case, the first of its kind in Russia, drew international attention from the start. After writing an animated, extremely tasteless comment suggesting corrupt militsiya officers be burned daily in every town center, the blogger was tracked and charged by local authorities. His alleged offense, inciting hatred and denigrating the human dignity of a social group (namely, the militsiya), seemed absurd to internet users familiar with the casual and frequently vulgar level of discourse found online. His maximum sentence, a significant fine and two years behind bars, seemed excessive.

After a convoluted trial where prosecutors struggled to find extremism in Terentyev’s words (a linguistic investigation commissioned by prosecutors was thrown out for procedural irregularities), authorities asked that the blogger receive a suspended sentence, or probation, of one and a half years. Lada Luzan, the state prosecutor, reasoned that neither a fine nor correctional labor were appropriate, since Terentyev has a low income and is employed. She also asked that Terentyev’s sentence be suspended, since he admitted authorship of the internet comment, which the prosecution was not expecting.

For his part, Terentyev remained unapologetic and maintained his innocence, pledging to appeal the ruling. During the trial, he described a distinction between scrupulous and unscrupulous police, and expressed his belief that law-enforcement officials who break the law and Constitution must be subject to “severe punishment.” Terentyev called his earlier suggestion that corrupt cops be burned in Auschwitz-like ovens “hyperbole and exaggeration,” and apologized to concentration camp victims and virtuous militsiya officers who he may have “involuntarily hurt with the contested commentary.”

According to prosecutors, the trial should begin in around two weeks.

Terentyev, 22, claims that he had no intentions of “inciting hatred and enmity.” His words, written as a response to a local journalist’s blog entry describing measures used by police against the opposition press , were a harsh emotional criticism of members of local law enforcement. His comment, later rescinded, spoke out against militsiya officers in general, calling them “garbage,” and proposed that one way to set an example was to “incinerate a bad cop” in every city center once a day.

The case has posed some difficulties for the prosecution. Linguistic experts were brought in to prove that Terentyev’s text was “aimed at inciting hatred and enmity, and also dishonoring a group of persons based on their belonging to a social group” and was “performed publicly, using the mass-media.” Terentyev’s supporters question whether an online journal can be considered “mass-media” and whether law enforcement officers are a collective group.

Representatives of LiveJournal, Russia’s most popular blogging service, have called the charges “absurd.” The web portal was recently purchase by a Russian firm, which has led to some concerns that Russia’s online commentators could be censored by the country’s security services.

If convicted, Terentyev faces a large fine and a maximum of two years behind bars. He has pledged to appeal any court decision.