Uzbek fined for asking police to act against Trump over seizure of Maduro

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — A court in Tashkent has fined a man about $100 for making a false call to police after reporting that the U.S. president had seized the president of Venezuela, authorities said.

The 37-year-old man, a resident of Uzbekistan’s Andijan region, was fined 1,236,000 soms (about $103) after a recording of his Jan. 6 call surfaced on social media, according to Gazeta.

In the call, he urged authorities to “take action” against U.S. President Donald Trump, claiming Trump had seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and was “living in the White House.”

The case was heard Jan. 7 by the Bektemir District Criminal Court in Tashkent, where the call was made.

According to court documents, police initially cited the man under three provisions of Uzbekistan’s Administrative Code: Article 183 (minor hooliganism), Part 1 of Article 194 (failure to comply with police orders after he refused to go to a police station), and Article 199 (knowingly making a false call to emergency services).

In court, the man said he had been intoxicated at the time and did not remember making the call. He expressed remorse, said he did not understand the consequences of his actions and asked for leniency.

Presiding Judge F. Pulatov ruled that the man’s actions did not meet the legal criteria for minor hooliganism or failure to comply with police orders, and those charges were dropped. The court, however, found him guilty of making a knowingly false emergency call.

In imposing the fine, the court said it considered the defendant’s personal circumstances, the public danger of the offense and the need to promote respect for the law and prevent future violations.