Three years in prison: Man repeatedly convicted of insulting Lukashenka

The Zavodski District Court considered a criminal case against Andrei Asaula, who was charged under three articles of the Criminal Code: Part 2 of Art. 368 (“insulting the president”), Art. 364 (“violence or threat of violence against a police officer”) and Art. 369 (“insulting a representative of the authorities”).

Judge Anzhela Kastsiukevich sentenced the defendant to three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.

On March 19, Andrei Asaula was sentenced by the same court to three years of restricted freedom in an open correctional facility for insulting the president (Part 1, Article 368 of the Criminal Code) and insulting a government official (Article 369 of the Criminal Code). However, he did not start serving his sentence, but was detained again in a criminal case on May 4.

In court, Andrei Asaula defended himself, saying that there was no point in hiring a lawyer.

According to the indictment, being in a state of intoxication, Asaula phoned the police and publicly insulted the president, “indecently humiliating the honor and dignity of Lukashenka in connection with the exercise of his powers, on the grounds of political and ideological hostility related to the elections.” By his intentional actions, he committed a crime under Part 2 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code.

In the same telephone conversation, he also threatened government officials and police officers with revenge.

Asaula repeated his calls and used obscene words to insult several police inspectors.