Stories of teenage political prisoners of Belarus who were deprived of their freedom

On November 20, World Children's Day is celebrated, dedicated to the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since the start of the protests in Belarus, thousands of children have experienced repression due to their parent's arrest and criminal prosecution, and dozens have ended up behind bars. Some minors have even been beaten and tortured. As of November 29, 2023, there are 10 political prisoners in the country who celebrated their 18th birthday behind bars, or are minors: Mikita Zalatarou, Siarhei Hatskevich, Eduard Kudyniuk, Maksim Imkhavik, Ivan Patsiaichuk, Dzianis Khazei, Aliaksandr Viniarski, Pavel Piskun, Aleh Dabrydneu, Mikita Brui. All of them were minors at the time of arrest and were subsequently sentenced to imprisonment. Viasna reports how the Belarusian authorities persecute children for political reasons, and why the children were imprisoned. 

"Extremist children" behind bars

 As of August 2, 2023, there are 11 teenage political prisoners in the country who celebrated their 18th birthday behind bars. Among them are Mikita Zalatarou, Siarhei Hatskevich, Eduard Kudyniuk, Maksim Imkhavik, Ivan Patsiaichuk, David Zbaranski, Dzianis Khazei, Aliaksandr Viniarski, Pavel Piskun, and Vital Prokharau. But this is not a complete list of repressed children.

For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs recently reported that in early November, security forces arrested five members of the Union of the Belarusian National Shield, against whom a criminal case was opened for “creating an extremist formation or participating in it” (Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code). Some of them are 16 and 17 years old.

In September of this year, Maksim Shatokhin's sentence was commuted by pardon and he was transferred from an educational colony to home confinement. And teenagers Daniil Kalesnikau and Maksim Kuksachenka have already served their sentences in full and were released a few months ago.

It is also known that in February, Aliaksandr Nalezhynski, who was only 16 years old at the time of the case consideration, was convicted. He was accused of insulting Lukashenka under Article 368 of the Criminal Code. And on June 14, 17-year-old Aliaksandr Trafimenka was convicted of mocking state symbols (Article 370 of the Criminal Code). The results of their trials are unknown to human rights defenders.

In January 2021, minor Aliaksandr Nestsiaruk was convicted of tearing down a flag from the House of Culture of Antopoĺ (Article 370 of the Criminal Code). The court decided to apply compulsory educational measures in the form of restriction of freedom for six months instead of punishment. At the time of the decision, the guy was 16 years old.

On August 2, 2021, the Smarhon District Court issued a verdict against Aliaksei Krautsou, who was 17 years old at the time. He was found guilty of mocking state symbols under Article 370 of the Criminal Code and was punished with a year of home confinement.

All the boys, except Mikita Zalatarou and Dzianis Khazei, were included in the "list of extremists" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Epilepsy patient Mikita Zalatarou — more than 2 years and 11 months in prison

Mikita was detained on August 11, 2020. Then he was 16 years old. In February 2021, the guy was sentenced to five years in an educational colony in the criminal case of Molotov cocktails. He repeatedly complained to his father of torture: even a stun gun was used against him.

In July 2021, the boy was convicted again. He was accused of assaulting an employee of the pre-trial detention center-3 under Article 364 of the Criminal Code. According to the case materials, Mikita Zalatarou "deliberately tripped a pre-trial detention center employee Luchkin N. A., as a result of which the latter fell to the floor, and when he got up, he leaned Mikita against the wall, but the teenager grabbed Luchkin by the hair and neck, causing physical pain and beatings to the victim, and also expressed a threat of violence against employee Khaubok T. Yu. and her loved ones." Both employees of the pre-trial detention center demanded compensation in the amount of 1,000 rubles. By partially adding up the previous sentence with a new one, Mikita's total sentence amounted to 4.5 years of imprisonment in an educational colony.

But the pressure did not end there: Mikita's punishment was increased in the summer. First, the Babrujsk judge Pavel Kartsinin decided to transfer the political prisoner from an educational colony to a correctional one. At the same time, the political prisoner could be held in an educational colony for up to 21 years, but the administration of the Babrujsk colony decided to initiate his transfer to a correctional institution immediately after Mikita turned 18.

In addition, Nikita was registered as "prone to extremism and other destructive actions," as well as "prone to hostage-taking and attacking the administration." It is known that in the educational colony No. 2, the administration often punished Mikita putting him to a punishment cell for several days.

In early August, it became known that the court considered such a punishment insufficient and decided to transfer Mikita to a prison custody level for a period of three years. 

Support Mikita with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Investigative prison No. 8, 222163, Zhodzina, vul. Savetskaya, 22A Mikita Mikhailavich Zalatarou

Aleh Dabrydneu — more than 8 months in prison  

Aleh is a resident of the Mahilioŭ region, who was detained on November 8, 2022, the day before his birthday.

In early November 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on the detention of five participants of the closed chat Union of the Belarusian National Shield, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs recognized as an extremist formation a week earlier. The ministry said that a criminal case was opened against the detainees under the article on the creation of an extremist formation.

Dabrydneu was convicted under Part 1 of Article 361-1 (creation of an extremist formation or participation in it), Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 361-4 (promotion of extremist activities).

It is known that the boy successfully participated in district competitions of intellectual games among schoolchildren.

Support him with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: SIZO-1. 220030, Minsk, vul. Valadarskaha, 2 Aleh Paulavich Dabrydneu

Yakub Kolas' great-grandson Mikita Brui 

Mikita is a 17-year-old great-grandson of a Belarusian writer Yakub Kolas; he studied at a secondary school in the village of Mikalayeŭščyna. He was detained in the case of the Union of the Belarusian National Shield and accused of deliberate actions to rehabilitate Nazism (Part 1 of Article 130-1 of the Criminal Code) and promoting extremist activities (Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code).

Judge Viktoryia Paleshchuk sentenced the boy to three years of an educational colony.

Support him with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Investigative prison No. 8, 222163, Zhodzina, vul. Savetskaya, 22A Mikita Aliaksandravich Brui

Pavel Piskun — more than 1 year and 4 months in prison 

The resident of Mazyr was detained on March 8. He was accused of filming Russian military equipment on his cell phone on February 27, 2022, and sending this video to an "extremist" Telegram channel along with the information on number of vehicles, their direction, and distinctive features. 

According to the prosecution, by these actions Pavel Piskun contributed to extremist activities.

The boy was also blamed for the fact that a few days later, namely on March 1 and 2, he again filmed Russian military equipment and again transferred the materials to an "extremist" Telegram channel. Piskun was found guilty under Parts 1 and 2 of Articles 361-4 of the Criminal Code and sentenced to three years in prison, serving his sentence in a general security correctional colony.

Support him with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Educational colony No. 2, 213807, Babrujsk, vul. Henerala Batava, 4 Pavel Iharavich Piskun

Siarhei Hatskevich — more than 2 years and 4 months in prison

The boy was accused of participating in mass riots under Article 293 of the Criminal Code on August 10 in Brest.

According to investigators, during a protest rally in the center of Brest, the accused grossly violated public order, punched and kicked police officers with various objects. Sticks, street trash bins, fragments of benches, paving slabs and asphalt, bottles, stones, metal bolts, containers with paint, pyrotechnic products were used.

As a result of the riots, according to investigators, 24 security officers were injured. Of these, 19 people were recognized as victims in the case. One employee received two wounds in the area of the thumb of the right hand, identified as minor injuries. In addition, the defendants tried to use violence and cause bodily harm to three more security forces officers, the state prosecutor said in court.

The total amount of damage caused, according to investigators, is about 24 thousand rubles: 13 police cars, one bus, shields, helmets, bulletproof vests, asphalt, paving slabs, benches, trash bins, trees were damaged.

On March 10, 2021, in the court of the Maskoŭski District of Brest, Siarhei and 8 other defendants in this criminal case were sentenced. Siarhei was sentenced to three years in prison in an educational colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. At the time of the decision, Siarhei was 16 years old. 

Support Siarhei with letters of solidarity, telegrams and postcards: Educational colony No. 2, 213807, Babrujsk, vul. Henerala Batava, 4 Siarhei Siarheyevich Hatskevich

Dzianis Khazei and Eduard Kudyniuk — more than 2 years and 2 months in prison

Brest residents were also convicted for participating in mass riots in Brest on August 10. The verdict of the political prisoners was handed down in the Leninski Court of Brest on May 21. Dzianis and Eduard were sentenced to three years in an educational colony and handcuffed in the courtroom.

Support Eduard and Dzianis with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Educational colony No. 2, 213807, Babrujsk, vul. Henerala Batava, 4 Eduard Mikalayevich Kudyniuk Dzianis Siarheyevich Khazei

Aliaksandr Viniarski — more than 2 years and 2 months in prison

The resident of Brest, who was a minor at the time of detention and sentencing, was sentenced to three years in an educational colony on May 21 under the article on participation in mass riots in Brest. Before the trial, Aliaksandr was in custody.

Support him with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Educational colony No. 2, 213807, Babrujsk, vul. Henerala Batava, 4 Aliaksandr Andreyevich Viniarski

Maksim Imkhavik and Ivan Patsiaichuk — more than 2 years in prison

The political prisoners were sentenced on July 12, 2021 to three years in an educational colony in the case of "mass riots" in Brest on August 10. After the verdict, the boys were taken into custody in the courtroom. 

Support them with letters of solidarity, telegrams, and postcards: Educational colony No. 2, 213807, Babrujsk, vul. Henerala Batava, 4 Maksim Vadzimavich Imkhavik Ivan Dzmitryevich Patsiaichuk

Artsiom Vaitsiakhovich — more than 6 months in prison

Vaitsiakhovich’s brother administrates Railway Workers Community Telegram channel. Artsiom was taken into custody under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code (extortion). His brother receives demands to stop his activity as a condition for Artsiom's release.

On September 7, 2023, a closed trial of Artsiom began; his case was considered by Lidziya Tselitsa. In early October 2023, it was reported that Artsiom was sentenced to 3 years of a penal colony with suspended execution of sentence. 

David Zbaranski fully served his sentence and was released

David was detained on November 30, 2020 immediately after returning from Poland. He was 17 years old at the time of his arrest. On July 12, in the Leninski District Court of Brest, Zbaranski was sentenced to three years in a general security colony for participating in mass riots in Brest on August 10. On April 13 of this year, the boy got married to his girlfriend Alina. David proposed to her during their meeting in the pre-trial detention center.

The boy has fully served his sentence and on January 21, 2023, he was released from the Babrujsk penal colony No. 2.

Vital Prokharau fully served his sentence and was released

He was charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Art. 342 (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order) and Article 364 (violence or threat of violence against a police officer).

At a protest on August 10, Prokharau threw at least one stone at a police van, which caused material damage to the vehicle, the prosecution claimed. The guy was detained by riot police on the same day and severely beaten.

Prokharau himself said at the trial that he did not throw a stone, but in order to "attract attention on his Instagram" boasted that he had broken the windshield of a police van. His friend recorded it on his mobile phone and posted it on Telegram. On February 8, 2021, Vital was sentenced to two years of an educational colony.

In mid-January 2022, it became known that the boy was refused a pardon.

The boy fully served his sentence and was released from the educational colony No. 2 on December 15, 2022.