4 years in prison and 13 victims among antiterrorist police officers - new sentence for participation in protest

On 23 June the Frunzenski District Court of Minsk sentenced Mikalai Dzenisevich, 53, to 4 years of imprisonment over a march that happened on 18 October 2020 in Minsk. The man was charged under three articles of the Criminal Code: part 1 of article 342 (active participation in the actions that grossly violate public order); part 1 of article 218 (intentional destruction of property) and Art. 364 (threat of violence against a police officer). Mikalai was accused of throwing stones, pieces of asphalt, and other objects at the police cars which were carrying police officers from an antiterrorist unit during the protest. These actions were qualified as threats to use violence against law enforcement officers and damage to property worth 5,728 Belarusian rubles (2000 US dollars). The victims in the case were 13 anti-terrorist police officers, but only three of them - masked and with changed identity - gave testimony at the trial. Dzenisevich pleaded guilty to all charges, but explained that he had made two symbolic throws at minibuses with the police "to draw attention and show the level of his indignation at the excessive use of violence against peaceful protesters."

Mikalai Denisievich was detained for 72 hours on 23 October 2020 and released with travel restrictions. But on 21 April 2020, the man was again detained and taken into custody. His relatives reimbursed the damages inflicted to police transport.