At least 24 people released in September after serving their sentences, 67 after being pardoned
Now 1285 people are recognized as political prisoners, and their number is increasing almost weekly. At the same time, every month several dozen political prisoners leave their places of detention either after the expiration of the sentence, or after the trial before being sent to an open-type correctional facility or to serve time in home confinement. In addition, over the past three months, the Belarusian authorities have begun to pardon political prisoners. According to Viasna, at least 94 people were released in September: 24 served their sentences in full, of which only two were women, and 67 people were pardoned. Three more people were sentenced to home confinement and released from a pre-trial detention facility. What political prisoners served their sentences for and how many of them were imprisoned; Viasna recalls their cases.
We publish the stories of some of them.
Political prisoner Volha Zalatar — 3 years, 6 months, and 1 day of imprisonment
Volha was detained on March 18, 2021. Then the former lawyer of Zalatar said that during interrogations the woman was beaten and forced to give phone passwords. In the Minsk City Court on December 3, 2021, Volha was sentenced to four years in a penal colony.
She was found guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code (creation of an extremist formation), Parts 1 and 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and training of actions grossly violating public order), Part 1 of Article 16, Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (assistance in organizing actions grossly violating public order). Volha pleaded not guilty.
On September 19, Volha was released, having fully served her sentence.
Political prisoner Mark Salonikau — 4 years and 27 days of imprisonment
The resident of Mahilioŭ was detained on August 22, 2020, right at his work in Minsk, along with his cousin, Daniil Bandaruk. It is known that after the detention the man was beaten.
Mark was convicted under Part 2 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code (participation in mass riots). He was sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment in a medium security penal colony, which he served in penal colony No. 3.
According to human rights activists, he was released in September 2024.
Political prisoner Andrei Shulhanau — 2 years, 1 month, and 23 days of imprisonment
The man was convicted in the Homieĺ Regional Court under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code (insulting Lukashenka) and Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code (inciting other social hatred or hostility). On September 20, 2022, judge Aliaksei Khlyshchankou sentenced Andrei to two and a half years in a penal colony. The political prisoner served his term in penal colony No. 3 in Viciebsk.
Political prisoner Artur Rybin — 3 years, 3 months, and 26 days of imprisonment
The Homeĺ resident was sentenced to three and a half years in a penal colony under two articles of the Criminal Code: "hooliganism" (Part 1 of Article 339) and "inciting other social hatred" (Part 1 of Article 130).
According to the prosecution, in November 2020 Artur Rybin created an installation with a portrait of Aliaksandr Lukashenka with the the words "Burn in Hell" written under it, installed it in one of the urban empty lots, photographed it, and posted the photo in a Telegram chat.
Moreover, in another Telegram chat, he posted comments on how he imagined protest activity in Belarus in the spring of 2021. He was released in early September 2024 from penal colony-3.
Political prisoner Andrei Ruskikh — 2 years, 3 months, and 29 days of imprisonment
In April 2022, a 45-year-old resident of Orša was put on the wanted list for comments about the military and Lukashenka, which were identified as "inciting other social hatred" (Article 130 of the Criminal Code) and "insulting Lukashenka" (Article 368 of the Criminal Code). As a result, the Russian police detained him in May 2022 in St. Petersburg. Later, Andrei was extradited to Belarus and placed in the Viciebsk pre-trial detention center.
In September 2023, the Viciebsk Regional Court heard the case of the political prisoner in closed mode. Judge Halina Bondal sentenced him to one and a half years of imprisonment.
67 political prisoners were released on pardon
Political prisoner Maryna Kisialevich — 2 years, 6 months, and 28 days of imprisonment
On the evening of September 4, Nasha Niva reported that Maryna Kisialevich, one of the founders of Mothers 328 movement, had been pardoned. In May 2022, the woman was sentenced to four years of restriction of freedom and sent to an open-type correctional facility. She was tried for Vkontakte posts under two defamatory articles of the Criminal Code: Part 2 of Article 368 (insulting Lukashenka) and Part 2 of Article 367 (slandering Lukashenka). The woman served her term in Brest open-type correctional facility No. 4. According to human rights activists, on April 12, 2024, a court hearing was held to increase the punishment of the political prisoner. As a result, Maryna's restriction of freedom was replaced by imprisonment in a penal colony for a period of 10 months.
30 more political prisoners pardoned in Belarus
It is reported that among them there are 7 women and 23 men.
Political prisoner Viktoryia Haurylina — 1 year, 7 months, and 8 days of imprisonment
Viktoryia is an entrepreneur, dancer, and mother of two children. She was accused of tax evasion, leaking data from security forces, participating in the Victory plan, and financing extremist activities; she was sentenced to three years and three months in a penal colony. She served her sentence in penal colony No. 4.
Political prisoner Dziyana Zavadskaya — 1 year and 20 days of imprisonment
The EPAM manager was detained upon her return from Georgia. Before her arrest, Dziayana was the head of the testing team at EPAM. After the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, she and her son, who is now 7 years old, left for Tbilisi. But at some point she decided to return to Belarus. She was convicted for participating in protests and donating money to support Ukraine. It is not known how long was Zavadskaya's sentence.
Political prisoner Iryna Harachkina — 3 years, 9 months, and 15 days of imprisonment
The woman was detained in December 2020 in the Autukhovich case. Iryna was convicted under Part 3 of Article 295 of the Criminal Code (illegal actions with objects whose damaging effect is based on the use of flammable substances) and Part 1 of Article 405 of the Criminal Code (covering up a serious crime) and sentenced to six years of imprisonment. The trial took place on October 17, 2022.
37 more political prisoners pardoned in Belarus. Who are they?
Political prisoner Andrei Tolchyn — 11 months and 20 days of imprisonment
Andrey is a creator of city newspaper Homelskiya Vedamastsi and a freelance journalist who collaborated with several independent publications. Tolchyn has been repeatedly detained and tried for his journalistic activities since 2017. On March 21, 2023, he was sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony for "slandering Lukashenka" and for "promoting extremist activities.
Political prisoner Siarhei Mardzilovich — 1 year, 11 months, and 5 days of imprisonment
The man worked as an international transportation manager for TransGlobal. According to the prosecution, Siarhei commented on messages in more than 30 groups and allegedly left 43 thousand comments, and also shared information about his former classmate, a security officer, with the Black Book of Belarus. Siarhei has two children. On July 31, 2023, a trial began against him under a number of articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Article 368 (insulting the president), Article 391 (insulting a judge or a people's assessor), Article 369 (insulting a representative of the authorities). The result of the trial is unknown.
