Curators avoid jail sentence

TWO Russian art curators who angered church leaders with an exhibition that included images of Christ as Mickey Mouse and Lenin were convicted yesterday of inciting religious hatred, but escaped prison sentences.

The decision on Yuri Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeyev by a Moscow court could avoid the possibility of an international outcry over imprisoning them.

But it is unlikely to stem concerns about the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church and Soviet-style censorship returning.