An elderly woman in Ukraine’s Chernigov Region has been sentenced to five years in prison for sharing posts on social media that justified, denied, and glorified Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, according to local media reports. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was prosecuted for liking and sharing posts on the Russian social media platform ‘Odnoklassniki’, which is banned in Ukraine but popular among the older population.
The court documents revealed that the woman had liked three specific posts on the platform, including a social media post, a video from Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, and a piece of text and graphic material that glorified the actions of Russian forces in Ukraine. These liked posts were automatically reposted by the woman’s account, making them visible to her 178 social media friends.
During the court hearing, the defendant admitted to her actions and requested leniency from the judge. She claimed that she was influenced by political shows and was unaware at the time that she was committing a crime. Despite her plea, the judge sentenced her to five years in prison and also confiscated her mobile phone and notebook. Additionally, she was ordered to pay court expenses amounting to 18,122 hryvnas ($491).
The Ukrainian judicial authorities did not disclose the woman’s age, but it was mentioned in the court documents that she was an elderly individual with no prior criminal record. The ban on Russian websites, including Odnoklassniki, was initially imposed by former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko in 2017 and later extended by President Vladimir Zelensky. Before the ban, more than half of Ukraine’s population, around 24 million people, used Russian sites.
It is worth noting that this is not the first case of harsh punishment for social media activity in Ukraine. In January 2022, a Ukrainian man was fined $350 for liking a post calling for the overthrow of the government in Kiev. He faced charges of undermining national security. These cases highlight the growing trend of tighter control over media, internet, and politics in Ukraine, especially in the midst of the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Kiev has implemented multiple restrictive laws throughout the conflict, including a controversial media law adopted in December 2022. This law, criticized by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) for its potential impact on democracy, further exacerbates concerns about freedom of expression and media independence in Ukraine.
The case of the elderly woman being sentenced to prison for her social media activity raises questions about the boundaries of freedom of expression and the role of censorship in Ukraine. While it is essential to address the spread of misinformation and propaganda, it is equally crucial to protect individuals’ rights to express their opinions freely. Striking a balance between these two objectives remains a challenge in countries facing political conflicts and societal divisions.
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