Anarchist political prisoners sentenced in Minsk
On April 22, 2022 the Minsk Regional Court sentenced the anarchists and political prisoners Aliaksandr Bialou, Yauhen Rubashka, and Artsiom Salavei, born in 1996, and Artsiom Salavei, born in 1995.
Judge Alena Misnik found them guilty under part 1 of article 342 of the Criminal Code and part 3 of article 361-1 and pronounced the following sentences: Aliaksandr Bialou, Yauhen Rubashka, and Artsiom Salavei, born in 1996, each received five years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony, Artsiom Salavei, born in 1995, received four and a half years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.
The final sentence was imposed by partially combining sentences under two articles. Under Part 1 of Article 342 Aliaksandr Bialou, Yauhen Rubashka, and Artsiom Salavei, born in 1996, each received two and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony, Artsiom Salavei, born in 1995, received two years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. Under Part 3 of Article 361-1 each is sentenced to 4 years in prison.
The Minsktrans lawsuit will be separated into a separate civil proceeding.
The court hearings in the criminal case against anarchists and political prisoners started in Minsk Regional Court on March 29.Twenty minutes after the trial began, the hearing was closed at the request of prosecutor Aliaksandr Ramanovich, known for other political trials; he supported the state prosecution in the trials against political prisoner student Uladzislau Martsinovich, political prisoner software engineer Raman Kananovich, political prisoner anti-fascist Uladzislau Zianevich, and others.
He argued that this criminal case was separated from another one, in which a preliminary investigation is still ongoing, with the alleged accomplices of the accused also being investigated. In addition, the case records contain information deemed extremist. In this regard, the prosecutor requested to consider the case in private. He also noted that this is necessary to ensure the secrecy of Investigation, guaranteed by law, as well as to exclude the dissemination of content deemed extremist. All the defendants and their lawyers opposed it. Despite this, Alena Misnik granted Ramanovich's request.
It is known that Volha Yemelyanenka–a representative of the civil plaintiff Minsktrans–is also present in court. She was reportedly a member of the precinct commission for the presidential election in 2020 and represented the Minsk city branch of the Belarusian Social and Sports Party. According to the Voice (Golos) platform, the results at this polling station were rigged.
Four anarchists are charged under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them) and Part 3 of Article 361-1 (Creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it).
Yauhen Rubashka and Aliaksandr Bialou are both activists of the anarchist movement. They were arrested on July 29, 2021, in Minsk. Their apartments were searched and they were beaten during the arrest. Police officers put a plastic bag on Yauhen's head to force him to give access to his phone and computer. Detention center officers took away all of his books and placed him on a preventive register as prone to extremism, which means a record in his personal file, special treatment, and additional work with a psychologist.
Artsiom Salavei, born in 1996, was arrested on August 4, 2021, and beaten by police officers: they tortured him and threatened to rape him in order to obtain access to his phone. On August 5, he was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest in Zavodsky District Court for disorderly conduct under Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences (he had allegedly acted violently when taken to the police department). After serving his sentence, he was re-detained as a suspect in a criminal case. Artsiom Salavei, born in 1995, was also arrested on August 4, 2021, but already as part of the criminal case.
