‘Undesirable’ comedy: Stand-up comedian Idrak Mirzalizade made an ‘insulting’ joke. Now he’s banned from Russia for life. 

Russia has banned comedian Idrak Mirzalizade from residing in the country for life over an "insulting" joke about Russians. Mirzalizade, who is of Azerbaijani origin, was jailed earlier this month on misdemeanor charges of inciting interethnic hatred. This came after he appeared on a comedy show aired on YouTube, where he made jokes about the xenophobia he encountered while apartment hunting in Moscow. Pro-Kremlin outlets picked up the story, claiming that Mirzalizade had "offended" Russians and should be prosecuted. The comedian, who maintains his innocence and says his statements were taken out of context, has reportedly left Russia already. Meduza chronicles the timeline of events leading up to Idrak Mirzalizade's expulsion here. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/08/30/undesirable-comedy