House arrest and $400 moral damages for contempt of deputy minister of internal affairs

On 8 July, Alena Novikava was sentenced by the Minsk District Court to one and a half years of restricted freedom (an equivalent of house arrest). She was accused of contempt of an official under Article 369 of the Criminal Code.

According to the accusation, on 5 March 2021, Novikava left an insulting commentary in the Telegram channel "Typical Belarus" under the publication about Deputy Interior Minister Henadz Kazakevich.

Novikava was detained on 27 April 2021 and released with travel restrictions three days later. She admitted her guilt in full. The word "bitch" that she used referred not to Kazakevich personally but to the article in general. Kazakevich did not appear in court, asking to consider the case in his absence. He also asked for 1000 rubles moral damages, the claim was satisfied.

Defendant's phone was confiscated as a means of committing the crime.