Court Sentences 18-Year-Old Ahangaran Resident for Insulting Comment on Instagram

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in Tashkent Region has sentenced an 18-year-old resident of Ahangaran for posting an offensive comment under a photo of the President on Instagram. The court also ordered the social media account to be blocked.

According to the case materials, the young man published a comment that, according to a comprehensive forensic political-linguistic examination, contained expressions directed against the President and degrading his honor and dignity.

During the court session, the defendant admitted his guilt, explaining that he had written the comment without malicious intent and without considering the consequences.

The court found him guilty under Part 3 of Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan — “Public insult or defamation of the President using mass media or the Internet” — and sentenced him to two years of restricted freedom.

Under the sentence, the convict is prohibited from leaving his place of residence, except for time necessary to go to work and return home.

The enforcement of the account blockage has been assigned to the Ministry of Digital Technologies.