New sentences, increased custody level and long-awaited releases: What happened to political prisoners this week Updated

There are already 1,216 political prisoners in Belarus and counting. Every week the courts hand down new sentences and those already in custody receive new charges. But there are also those who have served their term and are finally released. Viasna has collected all the news about political prisoners for this week.

From June 20 to 24, 10 people were convicted in courts:

• Marharyta Blashko was found guilty under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (group actions grossly violating public order) for honking her horn at an anti-war rally in Minsk on February 28, 2022. She was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom in an open-type penitentiary.
• Iryna Koval, a librarian, was found guilty under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (group actions grossly violating public order) and sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under home confinement.
• Liudmila Ramanovich got a custodial sentence despite her retirement age. A criminal case was brought against her under Article 368 of the Criminal Code for allegedly “insulting the president” in a letter she sent to the Investigative Committee. A District Court of Malaryta Judge Volha Smirnova found the woman guilty and sentenced her to 18 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
• Yauhen Liulkovich was sentenced by Mahilioŭ Regional Court to eight years of imprisonment to be served in a medium-security penal colony under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order).
• Siarhei Paulovich was found guilty in a criminal case on insulting comments on the Internet under Article 369 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and fined 6,400 rubles (about 1,900 US dollars).
• Aliaksandr Piatrashka has been tried under Article 369 of the Criminal Code (insulting a government official) and Article 130 of the Criminal Code (inciting hatred) for publishing comments on the Internet in connection with the deaths of IT worker Andrei Zeltser and KGB agent Dzmitry Fedasiuk. A Judge of Hrodna Regional Court Vasil Skok found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. It is known that Aliaksandr pleaded guilty.
• Aliaksandr Talmachou, a TV host, was convicted in the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk of taking part in group actions grossly violating public order Article 342 of the Criminal Code. Judge Yury Mashketau sentenced him to three years of restriction of freedom under home confinement. He was released awaiting the commencement of the sentence.
• Aliaksei Zabiran was sentenced by the Hrodna Regional Court to three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Article 369 of the Criminal Code for insulting a government official. He was also ordered to pay 1,000 rubles to the victim and a fine of 1,600 rubles.
• Uladzimir Matskevich, a philosopher and public figure, a co-founder of the Flying University, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony under three Articles of the Criminal Code. The case was considered by Judge Siarhei Yepikhau, notorious for convicting Mariya Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak.
• Mark Bernshtein, an entrepreneur, IT specialist, and Wikipedia editor, was sentenced to three years of restriction of freedom under home confinement under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order).

It became known, that Aliaksei Rusetski who was previously sentenced to three years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary began serving his sentence in February 2022.

Two political prisoners who are already serving their terms were sentenced for malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a penal institution in a criminal case under Article 411 of the Criminal Code and got new terms:

• Pavel Piaskou was sentenced by a Babrujsk and Babrujsk District Court Judge Pavel Kartsinin to 12 more months of imprisonment. 
• Viktoryia Kulsha was sentenced to 12 more months of imprisonment in addition to the two years and six months she is already serving.

Pavel Belavus, a creator of the Symbal.by store and a culture manager, was charged under Article 361-1 (creating an extremist formation) this week, in addition to his previous charges under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (Participation in group actions that grossly violate public order).

The custody level of two people was raised to imprisonment in a high-security prison:

• On June 15,  2022, the Court of Babrujsk and Babrujsk District raised Yegor Dudnikov’s custody level. Judge Pavel Karcinin ruled to transfer him from a medium-security penal colony to a high-security prison.
• In June 2022, Yauhen Zashchytau's custody level was changed from imprisonment in a penal colony to imprisonment in a high-security prison. On 22 June 2022, he was transferred to Mahilioŭ Prison No. 4.

Finally, nine people fully served their terms and were released: blogger and designer Volha Takarchuk, Dzmitry Babok, student Anastasiya Mirontsava, Aliaksei Chashun, sales manager Yauhen Kurhanau, Uladzislau Tamashevich, Yana Mileuskaya, Maksim Mychko, Aliaksandr Bendz.

 UPDATE: Uladzimir Kolas and Maksim Shyrynski were also released last week.