Russian court fines man for threatening text message sent to Belarusian security official during 2020 protests
A court in Russia’s Smolensk region has fined a Russian man for sending a threatening text message to a Belarusian security official in 2020, Belarus’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced.
The man, whose name was not disclosed, sent the message from the Smolensk region to a serviceman of Belarus’s Internal Affairs Ministry troops, threatening him with violence over his official duties. The serviceman had been involved in dispersing mass protests in Belarus in 2020.
Belarusian law enforcement sent a request to their Russian counterparts, who identified and located the sender. Transferring him to Belarus to face criminal prosecution was not possible, the agency said, so Belarusian authorities handed the case to Russia’s competent bodies for further investigation.
The Smolensk court found the man guilty of threatening violence against a government official and fined him 50,000 rubles. The serviceman who received the message was also awarded 100,000 rubles in compensation for emotional distress.
The defendant admitted guilt and expressed remorse, according to the announcement.
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