Jesus cartoons get the OK
2005-04-13 21:44
Athens - A Greek court has allowed a controversial Austrian book of cartoons portraying Jesus as a marijuana-smoking hippy to go on sale after it was previously banned for blasphemy.
Austrian cartoonist Gerhard Haderer initially had been found guilty and given a six-month suspended prison sentence in January for maliciously insulting the Orthodox Church and his book The Life of Jesus was banned in Greece.
The book, which had initially gone on sale in Greece in 2002, but was pulled from stores just days later after pressure from the country's powerful church, portrays Jesus as a hippy surfer who enjoys smoking marijuana with friends and celebrities, including Jimi Hendrix.
On Wednesday, an Athens appeals court ruled the book was not "blasphemous" and overturned the cartoonist's previous conviction.
Haderer had the support of many of the country's top cartoonists, who said the earlier court decision harmed the image of their country.
About 1 000 people had signed a petition, demanding the immediate lifting of the ban. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA