A secret trial for "espionage" was held in Brest

Human rights activists learned that a few months ago, the Brest Regional Court convicted Dzmitry Shlethauer under Part 1 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code ("promoting extremist activities") and Article 358 of the Criminal Code ("espionage"). Dzmitry's sentence is unknown, but the penalty under the latter article ranges from seven to 15 years in prison. The trial in the Shlethauer case was held in closed session, which is not indicated on the Supreme Court's website. Human rights activists do not know anything about the circumstances of the case.

It should be noted that in Belarus only foreign citizens or stateless persons can be tried under Article 358 of the Criminal Code. Since 2020, three people have been convicted in political cases for "espionage" - Polish citizen Tomasz Beroza and Ukrainians Andrei Shmai and Natalia Zakharenko, she was later released on exchange.

On August 30, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal in the Shlethauer case in closed session. The hearing will be presided over by Judge Edgar Martirosyan.

If you know the details of the case or have information about Dmitriy, please write to human rights activists on Telegram at @Viasnainfo