A Minsk court has sentenced Pavel Anisimau accused of insulting a government official (Art. 369 of the Criminal Code). In February, he left a commentary under the news about the death of Deputy Chief of Staff of Department of Internal Affairs of Mahiliou region Alyaksandr Petrusevich, reports the human rights center “Viasna.”
The defendant was at work on February 3 and, during a break, was reading the news on Telegram, where he saw an obituary of the Mahiliou police officer Alyaksandr Petrusevich. Pavel Anisimau left a negative comment. He wrote, “The bastard has died, let he fry forever by the devils at Hades.”
At court, the defendant clarified that his words were addressed to the deceased policeman. He did not put any special meaning into them but expressed his emotions, which had accumulated due to the political situation in the country.
Andrei Petrusievich, son of the deceased policeman, was recognized as a victim in the case. However, the lawyer stressed that only a “representative of the authorities” could be a victim under this article. And the recognition of Alyaksandr Petrusievich’s son as a victim contradicts the legislation in force at the time of Anisimau’s crime.
“At the time, sad as it may be, he was no longer alive, so he could not perform his official duties,” the defense attorney stressed.
Pavel Anisimau also noted that the said article of the Criminal Code cannot be applied because it reads like “insulting a representative of the authorities in the performance of official duties.”
“I can’t understand how a man was performing his duties while being dead.”
However, Judge Natallia Buhuk found Pavel Anisimau guilty and punished him with two years of home arrest. He will also have to satisfy the claim for compensation of moral harm to the son of the dead policeman for 1,000 rubles.
