A man will go to prison for 5 years for distributing his own pornographic photos on Instagram, Viber, and Telegram. He was initially convicted, citing a repealed law. Then there was an appeal, which changed nothing.
A man will go to prison for 5 years for distributing his own pornographic photos on Instagram, Viber, and Telegram. He was initially convicted, citing a repealed law. Then there was an appeal, which changed nothing.
An unemployed and previously convicted resident of the city of Smila sent photos and videos of his own genitals to women on Instagram, Viber, and Telegram.
In January, he was detained and charged with producing, storing, and distributing pornographic images for the purpose of selling them.
On March 25, 2025, the Smilyansk City District Court found the man guilty and sentenced him to 5 years and 1 month in prison, citing the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of Public Morality" of November 20, 2003 and the Law of Ukraine "On Media" of December 13, 2022 regarding the prohibition of the production and circulation in any form of pornographic products on the territory of Ukraine.
Disagreeing with the verdict of the local court, the Deputy Head of the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal with the Cherkasy Court of Appeal. He believed that the verdict should be overturned due to the incorrect application of the Law of Ukraine on Criminal Liability and the inconsistency of the punishment imposed by the court with the severity of the criminal offenses committed and the personality of the accused due to leniency.
The fact is that the law "On the Protection of Public Morality" was repealed back in 2023. In addition, the law "On Media" regulates TV, radio, and online publications, not private messages in chat rooms.
Therefore, the court decided that the charges were qualified correctly, so the prosecutor's complaint was partially satisfied - namely, regarding the application of additional punishment to the accused.
Therefore, on August 20, 2025, the Cherkasy Court of Appeal issued a verdict - to add to 5 years and 1 month of imprisonment an additional punishment in the form of deprivation of the right to hold positions and engage in activities related to the dissemination of information of any nature on web resources for 1 year.
