Baku: Azerbaijan has introduced new penalties for actions deemed as petty hooliganism and online insults, which include fines and administrative detention. This development follows the approval of amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses by President Ilham Aliyev. Actions that express disrespect toward society, without involving violence or damage to property, will now be classified as petty hooliganism and subject to penalties.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the amendments stipulate that petty hooliganism will incur a fine ranging from AZN 50 to AZN 100. In cases where these measures are deemed inadequate, offenders may face administrative detention for up to 15 days, depending on the case's circumstances and the offender's identity.

The updated code further outlines that if actions insult public morality and are displayed online, fines between AZN 500 and AZN 1,000 will be imposed. Should these penalties prove insufficient, administrative detention for up to 30 days may be applied. Repeat offenders within a year of the initial penalty face fines from AZN 1,000 to AZN 2,000, and potentially one to two months of detention, contingent on the offense's circumstances and the offender's identity.

These provisions apply only when such acts do not entail criminal liability under the Criminal Code's relevant articles.