Mikalai Autukhovich gets 25 years in jail, members of his ‘group’—up to 20

On October 17, 2022, the Hrodna Regional Court pronounced the verdicts on the high-profile Autukhovich case. The trial lasted five months. Judge Maksim Filatau imposed jail terms ranging from two and a half to 25 years.

The defendants in the case were political activist Mikalai Autukhovich, priest Siarhei Rezanovich, his wife Liubou Rezanovich, their son Pavel Rezanovich, pensioner Halina Dzerbysh, activist Uladzimir Hundar, activist Volha Mayorava, pensioner Iryna Melkher and her son Anton Melkher, and Iryna Harachkina, Viktar Snehur and Pavel Sava. They have been held behind bars for 22 months. Only two of them fully admitted their guilt. 

Political dissident Mikalai Autukhovich has been jailed for the second time in his life.

Mikalai Autukhovich received 25 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony. According to the indictments, he will serve the first five years in a maximum-security prison, and the rest of his term in a penal colony. He was also fined 32,000 Belarusian rubles ($12,600) and stripped of his rank of retired Chief Warrant Officer. The verdict was handed down under 10 articles of the criminal code:

• ‘Creating a criminal organization and taking part in it’ (Part 3 of Article 285),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
• ‘High treason’ (Part 1 of Article 356),
• ‘Incitement to hatred’ (Part 3 of Article 130),
• ‘Calls for actions/sanctions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 3 of Article 361),
• ‘Attempt to engage in terrorist activities’ (Part 1 of Article 290-2),
• ‘An act of terrorism and preparation for it’ (Part 3 of Article 289),
• ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives’ (Part 4 of Article 295),
• ‘Illegal transportation of firearms, ammunition, explosives, explosive devices across the customs border of the EEU and the State Border of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 3 of Article 333-1), and
• ‘Illegal actions in relation to objects which action is based on the use of combustible substances’ (Part 1 of Article 295-3).

Pavel Sava received 20 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 22,400 Belarusian rubles ($8,800). He was convicted of

• ‘taking part in a criminal organization’ (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC) and
• ‘an act of terrorism committed by a group of persons’ (Part 3 of Article 289 of the CC).

Viktar Snehur received 19 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100). He was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization in any other form’ (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
• ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group’ (Part 4 of Article 295), and
• ‘Illegal transportation of firearms, ammunition, explosives, explosive devices across the customs border of the EEU and the State Border of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 3 of Article 333-1).

Iryna Harachkina received six years and one month of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 9,600 Belarusian rubles ($3,800). She was convicted of

• ‘illegal actions in relation to objects which action is based on use of combustible substances’ (Article 295-3) and
• ‘misprision of felony’ (Part 1 of Article 405 of the CC).

Volha Mayorava was initially accused of terrorism but the charges were later dropped.

Volha Mayorava received 20 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100). She was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization in any other form’ (Part 2 of Article 285),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
• ‘Incitement to hatred by a group of persons’ (Part 3 of Article 130),
• ‘Calls for actions/sanctions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 3 of Article 361), and
• ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group’ (Part 4 of Article 295).

Uladzimir Hundar received 18 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100). He was convicted of

• ‘creating a criminal organization’ (Part 1 of Article 285) and
• ‘attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357).

Siarhei Rezanovichreceived 16 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 19,200 Belarusian rubles ($7,600). He was convicted under three articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization’ (Part 2 of Article 285),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357), and
• ‘Illegal actions in relation to objects which action is based on use of combustible substances conducted by a group of persons’ (Part 1 of Article 13 and Article 295-3).

Liubou Rezanovich received 15 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 19,200 Belarusian rubles ($7,600). She was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization’ (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
• ‘Attempted act of terrorism’ (Part 1 of Article 13 and Part 3 of Article 289), and
• ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group’ (Part 4 of Article 295).

Pavel Rezanovich received 19 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100). He was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Creating a criminal organization and taking part in it by an official’ (Part 3 of Article 285),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
• ‘Preparation for an act of terrorism committed by an organized group’ (Part 1 of Article 13 and Part 3 of Article 289), and
• ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group’ (Part 4 of Article 295).

Halina Dzerbysh received 20 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 22,400 Belarusian rubles ($8,800). She was convicted under three articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization’ (Part 2 of Article 285),
• ‘An act of terrorism committed by a group of persons’ (Part 3 of Article 289), and
• ‘Conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 357).

Iryna Melkher received 17 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 22,400 Belarusian rubles ($8,800). She was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• ‘Preparation for an act of terrorism committed by an organized group’ (Part 1 of Article 13 and Part 3 of Article 289),
• ‘Taking part in a criminal organization in any other form’ (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC),
• ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357), and
• ‘Active participation in actions that grossly violate the public order’ (Part 1 of Article 342).

Anton Melkher was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony for ‘active participation in actions that grossly violate the public order’ (Part 1 of Article 342). He was released in the courtroom because his detention was credited to his sentence.

All of the defendants were detained in December–January 2020. The authorities immediately declared Autukhovich the organizer and leader of a “terrorist group” that operated in the Hrodna region and allegedly set police officers’ cars and houses on fire.

According to the investigation, Mikalai Autukhovich and “members of the organized group” prepared an incendiary mixture of gasoline and other flammable substances on the night of October 1 to 2, 2020. Then they poured this mixture on the car and house belonging to the police officer in Vaŭkavysk and set them on fire. In November 2020, Mikalai Autukhovich and “other members of the criminal organization” produced an improvised explosive device on the basis of TNT and an unspecified detonator and then exploded a car belonging to a police officer in Hrodna. The criminal case against other members of the “criminal community” was allocated in separate proceedings.

Prior to his new detention, Mikalai Autukhovich had served the longest among all Belarusian political prisoners term of 7 years and 5 months.