Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning satirical US
cartoon South Park, calling the series extremist after receiving
viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said.
South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of
nine-year olds in a Colorado ski town, has courted controversy from
its 1997 debut, parodying celebrities, politicians, religion, gay
marriage and Saddam Hussein.
Basmanny regional prosecutors office spokeswoman Valentina Titova
said investigators filed a motion after deciding an episode
broadcast on Moscow television station 2x2 in January bore signs of
extremist activity.
"In accordance with the conclusions made by experts from the court
investigations committee, a claim has been filed against 2x2 for
its broadcast of an episode of South Park," Titova said.
South Park has won two Emmy Awards and was first shown on the US
Comedy Central network.
It is dubbed into Russian and rebroadcast on local networks, including 2x2, a channel which broadcasts animated series in Moscow and St Petersburg.
