Vindictive Lukashenka

Activist from Niasvizh was detained in 4.5 years on the charge of insult of Lukashenka. Alexander Kruty was hiding for over four years, but recently he has been detained. Now he is held in Zhodzina pre-trial center.

The criminal case under Article 368 of the Criminal Code was started in May 2003. Niasvizh activist Alexander Kruty was accused of public insult of the head of the state: allegedly, he distributed leaflets with insulting contents, Nasha Niva reports.

According to Kruty, the leaflets were based on a pun, but did not directly say anything bad about Lukashenka whatsoever.

When the case was started, Alexander Kruty was released from the detention center. After that he escaped and for 4.5 years was hiding from the law-enforcing bodies. According to Alexander’s family, recently he has been detained in Minsk, and taken to Niasvizh, where he spent 3 days. Now Alexander Kruty is kept in detention in Zhodzina.

Human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich explains, Article 368 of the Criminal Code  has its limitation period which, depending on the committed crime, may last 2 to 3 years. However, if Alexander Kruty was on a wanted file, his case was suspended and time limitation wouldn’t work in this case.