Pensioner convicted for insulting OCU believers on social media

In the city of Dolynska, in the Kirovohrad region, a court sentenced a local resident who published insulting statements about believers of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on the social network Facebook.

As reported in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, the case was considered by the Dolynsky District Court of the Kirovohrad region.

Case details

The accused, A pensioner who is unemployed, unmarried and has no previous criminal record, registered on Facebook in 2023 under a pseudonym. From this account, he published posts containing words of hatred and hostility towards the believers of the OCU, calling them a «senseless herd» and expressing arrogance and contempt.

The examination established that his posts contained:

    –  expressions that promote hatred and arrogance towards the OCU;

   –  derogatory and contemptuous names of supporters of the OCU;

    –  words that form a prejudiced attitude towards believers.

Court verdict

The pensioner pleaded guilty and entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor, agreeing to a sentence of one year in prison with a probationary period.

The court found the agreement lawful and voluntary. The verdict states:

    –  Punishment: one year of imprisonment with a suspension for probation.

   –  Obligation: to systematically appear at the probation agency, to report a change of residence.

   –  Costs: the convict must pay 14,009 hryvnias for the examination.