Eight more defendants in the Brest riot case sentenced
Awaiting the verdict. Photo by Brest chapter of Viasna
On 12 July 2021, the Leninski District Court of Brest passed a verdict in the criminal case under part 2 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code (participation in mass riots) against 12 people. This is the fourth group of Brest residents who are tried in the case of mass rioting, which was brought after the protests in Brest on August 9 and 10 last year.
The case of Mark Antonau, Yauhen Piekach, and Aliaksandr Tsimafejeu was severed into separate proceedings due to their illness. Another person involved in the case - Aleh Yurau - was declared wanted.
The following sentences were handed down to eight defendants in the case:
- Political prisoner Sviataslau Herasimuk - 4 years and 6 months of imprisonment;
- Political prisoner David Zbaranski - 3 years of imprisonment;
- Political prisoner Valery Melnichuk - 4 years and 6 months of imprisonment;
- Political prisoner Marek Siradze - 4 years of imprisonment;
- Andrei Tarasovets - 3 years of imprisonment (detained in the courtroom);
- Political prisoner Viachaslau Trafimuk - 4 years of imprisonment;
- Minor Ivan Patseichuk - 3 years of imprisonment in a juvenile correctional facility (detained in the courtroom);
- Minor Maksim Imkhovik - 3 years of imprisonment in a juvenile correctional facility (detained in the courtroom).
According to the investigation, the defendants grossly violated public order during a protest action in the center of Brest, pogromed, and hit the police with their hands and feet and various objects. They used planks, sticks, street garbage boxes, fragments of benches, paving slabs and asphalt, bottles, stones, metal bolts, containers with paint, and fireworks.
As a result of the riots, according to investigators, 24 law enforcement officers were injured. Nineteen of them were recognized as victims in the case. One policeman received two wounds in the right thumb area, classified as minor bodily injuries. The rest had beatings. In addition, the defendants tried to use violence and cause injuries to three more law enforcement officers, said the prosecutor in court.
All in all, according to the investigation, the total amount of damage caused in the case is about 24 thousand rubles: 13 police cars, one bus, shields, helmets, bulletproof vests, asphalt, paving tiles, benches, garbage cans, and trees were damaged.
