Babrujsk ‘terrorists’ sentenced to long terms in jail

On August 10, the Babrujsk District and Municipal Court convicted a group of local ‘terrorists’. The defendants in the case were Ihar Kazlou, Kanstantsin Yermalovich, Vital Minkevich, Natallia Ked, and Nadzeya Polkina.

They were charged on several counts:

• ‘creation of an organization to carry out terrorist activity or participation in it’ (Part 2, Article 290-4 of the Criminal Code);
• ‘an act of terrorism’ (Part 2 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code);
• ‘threat of committing an act of terrorism’ (Part 2 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code);
• ‘insult of the President of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 1 of Article 368).

Judge Natallia Ahladkova considered the case.

There is little information about the trial at this time, as the trial was held behind closed doors.

It is known that all five defendants were accused of burning Lukashenka's effigy in March 2021.

Separately, Kazlou, Yermalovich, and Minkevich are accused of a series of actions of a ‘terrorist nature’ in the summer and autumn of 2021.

Then, the Department of Internal Affairs of Mahilioŭ Regional Executive Committee stated that an object looking like an explosive device was found near the railway station Miradzina. Similar objects were found by railroad workers on August 24 and 31 between the rails near Citoŭka and Babina railway stations, and on September 16 by a vendor near a trading kiosk in Babrujsk.

The security forces also considered the arson of the shooting range belonging to military unit 5527 in Babrujsk to be a terrorist attack.

Ihar Kazlou, Kanstantsin Yermalovich, and Vital Minkevich were detained on September 26, 2021. All three men were included in the list of persons involved in terrorist activities by the KGB.

The verdict was handed down today. Ihar Kazlou, Kanstantsin Yermalovich, Vital Minkevich, Natallia Ked, and Nadzeya Polkina were found guilty of burning down an effigy of Lukashenka in March 2021, reports MAYDAY.TEAM. Kazlou, Yermalovich, and Minkevich were also found guilty of a number of actions of a ‘terrorist nature’ in the summer and autumn of 2021.

Thus:

• Kanstantsin Yermalovich was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 9,600 Belarusian rubles (equivalent to 3,800 US dollars);
• Vital Minkevich was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony;
• Ihar Kazlou was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony;
• Nadzeya Polkina was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony;
• Natallia Ked was sentenced to 24 months years of freedom restriction under home confinement under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code.