Russians May Sue Mel Gibson

A Russian human rights group may sue Mel Gibson over his movie "The Passion of the Christ," the Interfax news agency reported late last week.

Several Jewish organizations and individuals told us that the film fuels ethnic hatred and cultivates xenophobic myths about the Jewish people's guilt for crucifying Christ, Alexander Brod, director of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, told Interfax.

Brod said his organization was therefore considering filing a lawsuit against the film's director and the film's distributor in this country.

Brod said Russian human rights organizations had already received a report from U.S. experts on religion who concluded the movie was tendentious and incorrect with regard to Jews, the news agency said.

We will soon receive other reports and will make our final decision, he told Interfax.

While Brod is at it, he may want to sue Russian President Putin as well.

Putin has been repressing religious freedom and banning groups such as the Salvation Army – not to mention closing down press outlets and jailing political opponents.

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