Political prisoner Artsiom Khvashcheuski sentenced to one year in prison

The Frunzienski District Court of Minsk sentenced today political prisoner Artsiom Khvashcheuski to one year in a general security penal colony. Khvashcheuski was found guilty of “organizing group actions which gravely breach public order” (Article 342 of the Criminal Code).

The court also recognized the right of Minsktrans, the government-owned city transport operator, to receive compensation for suffered losses, and forwarded the issue of its size to civil proceedings.

The case was considered by Judge Yuliya Blizniuk.

The charges stemmed from Artsiom Khvashcheuski’s involvement in a protest held on August 10 near the Puškinskaja metro station in Minsk. The defendant was accused of chanting slogans, clapping his hands and walking on the road. He also allegedly called to join the protest in his posts published in a number of Telegram channels and chats.

The defense asked the court to take into account that the accused pleaded guilty in full and repented.

Political prisoner Artsiom Khvashcheuski is a football manager. He has lived in Poland for the last nine years. Khvashcheuski is a former player of the amateur football club Minsk Cosmos, and later, after moving to Poland, he played in the Polish B-Class League. He studied at the AWF Wroclaw, working as a coach at a youth football club, and also dealt with videos for the Polish national team and Ekstraklasa.