Out of jail! In January, 22 political prisoners were released

The number of political prisoners in Belarus has been growing steadily for two years now. Now 1449 people are recognized as political prisoners. At the same time, some have already served their terms or are released from custody being sentenced to non-custodial punishments. At least 22 political prisoners were released in January. Seventeen of them served their terms in full, and four people were sentenced to home confinement and released from pretrial detention, according to human rights defenders. Viasna recalls their cases. 

Seventeen political prisoners served full time, and one more amnestied

Natallia Nikitsina spent 484 days in jail  

Natallia Nikitsina is a seasoned psychiatrist and therapist with nearly 30 years of experience. Nikitsina was arrested on September 29, 2021, in her workplace at the Minsk Center for Child Psychiatry and Psychotherapy just a few hours after she learned that she was being sacked.

Judge Valiantsina Ziankevich sentenced the political prisoner to 22 months of imprisonment and a fine of 6,400 Belarusian rubles (2,500 US dollars) in the Zeltser case. On January 5, Nikitsina was released from women's colony No. 4.

Tatsiana Zviarko spent 517 days in jail 

Tatsiana Zviarko from Lida is a mother on maternity leave. She was sentenced by the Lida District Court of Hrodna to one 18 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Article 368 of the Criminal Code ("insult to the president") and Article 369 of the Criminal Code (“insult to a government official”).

Zviarko is a former employee of the Lida district executive committee. The representative of the authorities who was allegedly insulted by her in connection with the events of August 2020 is deputy head of the Lida police Dzianis Zhynko, with whom she was personally acquainted.

The woman was taken into custody in the courtroom. At the time of her detention, her youngest son was only 20 months old.

On January 4, the political prisoner was released from the Homieĺ women's colony at the end of her term.

Aliaksandr Bychkouski spent 550 days in jail

Aliaksandr Bychkouski is from Jeĺsk, Homieĺ region. He was sentenced to 18 months of restricted freedom in an open-type penal facility for “insulting a government official” (Article 369 of the Criminal Code). Bychkouski emotionally expressed his opinion on the Internet about Yauhen Zhylinski, the head of the police department in Dziaržynsk, Minsk region—and that was the reason for starting a criminal case. 

Since July 3, 2021, he has been serving his term at the Kruhliany open-type facility No. 46. The political prisoner was released on January 3, 2023.

Uladzimir Niaronski spent 617 days in jail 

Uladzimir Niaronski, a YouTube blogger running the Sluck, a city to live in channel, was arrested on May 8, 2020.

On February 2, 2021, Judge Aliaksandr Rybakou of the Lahojsk District Court sentenced him to three-year imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. The court found Niaronski guilty of “calling to breach public order” (Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code) and “publicly insulting a government official” (Article 369). The court concluded that the blogger used his YouTube channel to incite unrest, acting in conspiracy with the blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski and the politician Mikalai Statkevich. https://spring96.org/en/news/101646

The political prisoner was serving his term in Mahilioŭ colony No. 15. He was released on January 14.

Yauhen Charvinski spent 833 days in jail

Yauhen Charvinski was accused of taking part in an unauthorized protest on September 23, 2020, and spraying pepper spray while fleeing from the riot police. The victim, warrant Officer Siarhei Siarheyeu, received chemical burns to both eyes. Charvinski's family transferred him 1,500 rubles for moral damages before the verdict was passed.

On November 24, 2020, Judge Andrei Mlechka sentenced the political prisoner to two and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Article 363 of the Criminal Code (“resistance to a police officer”). The man served his term in Viciebsk colony No. 3. On January 4, he was released after having served his term in full.

It is known that Charvinski was severely beaten during his detention. He was diagnosed with craniocerebral trauma and numerous bruises on his face. 

Uladzimir Tsurpanau spent 714 days in jail 

Uladzimir Tsurpanau who was previously sentenced to restricted freedom in an open-type facility was sent to a colony for 24 months. The convict allegedly committed a number of violations of the order and conditions of serving the sentence. In particular, facility staff reported that he lay down on his bed at unauthorized times and did not make his bed properly. It is known that he was placed in cell-type premises while in the penal colony.

Tsurpanau was released on January 19.

Aleh Mazhou spent 406 days in jail

Aleh Mazhou is an athlete from Minsk. He was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code. In particular, he was accused of joining hands with other protesters and shouting political slogans. On April 6, the Mazyr District Court decided to raise Mazhou’s custody level and transfer him to a penal colony for 9 months and 17 days. The reason was four “violations of the internal regulations in the penal institution”, e.g. once Mazhou allegedly failed to say hello to the penitentiary employee.

On December 21, the political prisoner was released having fully served his term.

Alena Lyskovich spent 579 days in jail

 

Alena Lyskovich is one of the more than 100 defendants in the Dance protest case opened after the events of September 13, 2020, in Brest, when the protesters got out on the road cross and were dispersed by a water cannon.

On May 7, 2021, Ina Klyshpach, a judge of the Maskoŭski district court of Brest, sentenced her to 18 months of restricted freedom in an open-type penal facility. On July 26, Lyskovich started serving her sentence. On the same day, her daughter, a former political prisoner Viktoryia Lyskovich, began serving her sentence, but later she managed to flee abroad. It is known that on October 30, 2022, Alena Lyskovich was detained within the open-type penal facility. As a result, she was fined for “distributing extremist materials” under Part 2 of Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

On January 25, Lyskovich was released from the open penal facility in Hrodna having fully served her term.

Viktar Aktsistau spent 955 days in jail

Viktar Aktsistau was a 4th-year student of the Institute of Entrepreneurship majoring in translation when he was arrested. On December 30, he was sentenced by the Lieninski District Court of Minsk to two and a half years of imprisonment in a penal colony under Article 364 of the Criminal Code for using violence against a riot police officer on August 10, 2020. Aktsistau was severely beaten during his arrest on August 10, 2020, and his whereabouts were unknown for several days.

He was taken into custody on September 21, 2020, as part of criminal proceedings. Aktsistau was serving his sentence in penal colony No. 15 in Mahilioŭ. He served his term in full and was released on December 31, 2022.

Andrei Izotau spent 605 days in jail

Andrei Izotau from Minsk was sentenced to 24 months of restricted freedom in an open-type penal facility under Article 369 of the Criminal Code, (“insulting a government official”). Izotau was accused of insulting a riot police commander by commenting commander’s photo posted on the  Executioners of Belarus Telegram chat with the words “couldn’t be stupider”. 

The political prisoner was detained on April 23. The police took him off the flight to Moscow. He was detained for almost four months before the trial. The political prisoner served his term in Mahilioŭ open penal facility No. 43. He was released on January 25.

Aliaksandr Milasheuski spent 487 days in jail

Aliaksandr Milasheuski was arrested on September 29, 2021, in criminal proceedings initiated for comments on the Internet after the death of KGB officer Dzmitryi Fedasiuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser. On November 30, 2021, the Minsk Municipal Court sentenced him to 24 months in a penal colony. Milasheuski served his sentence in full and was released at the end of January 2023.

Andrei Piatrouski spent 521 days in jail

Andrei Piatrouski is a former teacher of history and social studies from Smarhoń. He was convicted in a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code (“slandering the president of Belarus”). He was tried for playing a video that bore a logo of a Telegram channel labeled as 'extremist' by the authorities to eleventh-graders at a social studies lesson. Among the students, there was a son of a local government official. The boy filmed the activity in class on his mobile phone and posted it in a family chat. After that, the teacher was sacked and faced criminal charges. The political prisoner served his sentence in full and was released at the end of January 2023.

Maksim Siliuk spent 794 days in jail

Maksim Siliuk from Brest was detained on November 28, 2020, and accused of blocking railways and hanging police effigies. Siliuk was convicted for spray-painting a protest slogan on an outdoor concession stand and installing a metal wire on the railways, as a result of which an electric train was delayed for 16 minutes.

On May 18, 2021, the Lieninski District Court of Brest sentenced the political prisoner under Part 2 of Article 339 of the Criminal Code (“hooliganism”) and under Article 309 of the Criminal Code (“intentional disabling of a vehicle or means of communication”). Siliuk fully served his term and was released.

Aliaksandr Antaniuk spent 451 days in jail

Aliaksandr Antaniuk worked as a criminal investigator until 2020. The reasons for his dismissal are unknown.

He was arrested on November 2, 2021, in a criminal case for group actions grossly violating public order (Article 342 of the Criminal Code) for his participation in a protest on September 13, 2020, in Brest which is known as the “dance protest”.

Antaniuk was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.

The political prisoner served his term in full and was released on January 28, 2023.

Dzianis Krauchuk spent 616 days in jail 

Dzianis Krauchuk is a truck driver and an activist.

 He was detained on April 26, 2021, as part of criminal proceedings for ordering to seize state power (Article 357 of the Criminal Code). However, the final charges against Krauchuk were brought under another article of the Criminal Code, namely Article 342 (“group actions grossly violating public order”). On September 5, 2022, Judge Uladzimir Areshka found him guilty and sentenced him to two and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.

It is known that during his imprisonment Krauchuk spent 22 days in a punishment cell. The political prisoner fully served his term and was released on December 6.

David Zbaranski spent 763 days in jail

David Zbaranski was a minor at the time of his arrest. The 17-year-old student was detained on November 30, 2020, immediately after returning from Poland.

He was charged under Part 2 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code (“mass riots”). The charge stemmed from a post-election protest in Brest on August 10, 2020. On July 12, 2021, the Lieninski District Court of Brest sentenced Zbaranski to three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.

He served his full term and on January 21, 2023, he was released from penal colony No. 2 in Babrujsk.

Siarhei Yesmanovich spent 476 in jail

Siarhei Yesmanovich was detained in Homieĺ for posting comments on the Internet in connection with the deaths of IT worker Andrei Zeltser and KGB agent Dzmitry Fedasiuk. On November 22, 2022, the Homieĺ Regional Court found Yesmanovich guilty of “incitement to social hatred” (part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code). Judge Aliaksei Khlyshchankou sentenced him to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.

On January 20, 2023, Yesmanovich was released after serving his full term.

Piotr Zinevich spent 638 days in jail 

Piotr Zinevich is a television mechanic from Baranavičy. He was sentenced to 2 years of restricted freedom in an open-type penal facility for “libel” against a police officer under Article 188 of the Criminal Code.

Zinevich was accused of posting a photo of a police officer on his page on the VKontakte social network with the caption, “He took part in the dispersal of the protests and tortured people”. The wife of the political prisoner, Iryna Krasutskaya, was also convicted in a politically motivated trial. She was sentenced to 24 months under home confinement under Article 369 of the Criminal Code (“insulting a government official”) for comment on the Internet.

Since August 16, 2021, Zinevich had been serving his sentence in Viciebsk open-type penal facility No. 9. On January 11, the political prisoner was released under the Law on Amnesty of December 7, 2022.

Four political prisoners got non-custodial terms and were released in the courtroom  

In January, the courts in Belarus overwhelmingly sentenced political prisoners to imprisonment. Only four people were released from pre-trial detention facilities after the trials being sentenced to restricted freedom under home confinement (the number may be an underestimate, as human rights defenders do not yet have all the results of the trials of political prisoners):

• A journalist with the Onliner media Sniazhana Inanets—sentenced to 24 months under home confinement

• A local historian and journalist from Minsk Aliaksandr Lychauka—sentenced to 24 months under home confinement

• An activist, researcher and tour guide Valeryia Charnamortsava—sentenced to two and a half years under home confinement

• A Singer Meryem Herasimenka—sentenced to three years under home confinement