Belarusian journalist sentenced to 1.5 years in jail for "insulting Lukashenko"
In Belarus, a journalist from “Pershy Rehien” edition was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for insulting self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and two police officers. Serhiy Gordievich, 50, was condemned by the Ivanivsky court on August 2, as Evropeyska Pravda reported.
Serhiy Gordievich insulted Alexander Lukashenko in a chat on the Real Drogichyn telegram channel.
According to the human rights center "Viasna", he was found guilty under three articles - insult of government officials in connection with the performance of official duties, dissemination of knowingly false and damaging the reputation of another person, data containing accusations of aggravated crime, and public insult to the president of Belarus.
The journalist was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
In addition, Gordievich is required to pay compensation of 2,000 Belarusian rubles for "moral damage" caused to two police officers.
The journalist was detained on December 22, 2020 on the way from his city Drogichyn to Brest and kept under arrest for 72 hours, the apartment was searched. After that, Gordievich was under house arrest during several months and in May, he was assigned not to leave town.
Gordievich pleaded not guilty and refused to testify.
The verdict was supposed to be announced on July 19, but due to the deterioration of Gordievich's health condition, the trial was postponed.
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