Babruisk: criminal case instigated against blogger Aleh Zhalnou

Babruisk City Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case on the fact of "public insult of a representative of authority in connection with the performance of his duties" (Article 369 of the Criminal Code), reports the press-service of the Babruisk City Police Department.

The investigation was opened on February 7 this year. The grounds were the publications in the personal web-blog of Aleh Zhalnou. As stated by the press-service, he published a number of insulting articles about policemen. Article 369 of the CC envisages a variety of penalties ranging from a fine to three years of imprisonment.

Bear in mind that Aleh Zhalnou has spent the past months in courts, he is often questioned by the police, his apartment was searched, the police repeated seize various media appliances and other hardware from him.

A criminal case under Article 364 of the CC, "Violence or the threat of violence to a police officer", was brought against his elder son, 24-year old Aliaksei Zhalnou, who is accused of hitting a traffic policeman in the head during the autumn conflict near the building of the road police department.