Antifascists sentenced to long terms for intimidating plainclothes police
Vital Shyshlou, Tamaz Pipiya, Dzianis Boltuts, Tsimur Pipiya
On July 2, the Maskouski District Court of Minsk sentenced the anti-fascists accused of participation in mass riots (part 2 of article 293 of the Criminal Code), group actions that grossly violate the public order (part 1 of article 342 of the Criminal Code), as well as violence towards policemen (article 364 of the Criminal Code).
Judge Sviatlana Bandarenka found all the defendants guilty and sentenced them to long terms of imprisonment:
Vital Shyshlou and Dzianis Boltuts - to 6 years each;
Tsimur Pipiya - to 6 years, 3 months, and two days;
Tamaz Pipiya - to 5 years.
The young men were accused of participating in protests on August 10 and September 23, 2020. Shyshlou, Boltuts, and Tsimur Pipiya are also charged with violence towards the police regarding an incident when they came to a car with some men in plainclothes who were watching the protest and pressured it to leave, while Vital Shyshlou pepper-sprayed the people inside. Later it turned out that the men were police officers on duty.
The court ruled to award the injured policemen damages from defendants Shyshlou, Boltuts, and Tsimur Pipiya: officer Zelianeuski - 1000 rubles and officer Karabanau - 500 rubles.
The anti-fascists were detained on September 25-26 and all of them apart from Dzianis Boltuts reported that violence, torture, and psychological pressure was used on them by the police who extorted confessions. Their phones were eavesdropped on because they were on the old police lists of radical football hooligans.
