Viasna prison release overview: May
There are currently 1,223 political prisoners in Belarus. Over the past two years, there has hardly been a single day without repressions. Some convicted in politically motivated cases have already served their sentences in full, and some have been waiting in pretrial detention centers so long that they were released in the courtroom immediately after the announcement of the verdict. According to human rights defenders' data, at least 28 political prisoners were released in May. Viasna recounts who these people are, why they were detained, and how did they get out of prison.
Fourteen political prisoners have fully served their terms on politically motivated cases
- Political prisoner Alena Dziadziulia after release from Homieĺ penal colony. Photo: spring96.org
Six ‘hay bale case’ defendants released in May
On January 31, seven participants of the resonant ‘painted hay bale case’ wereconvicted in Stoŭbcy under Part 2 of Article 339 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism). Six of them, Andrei Aryka, Maksim Dubeshka, Aliaksandr Babko, Volha Dubovik, Alena Dziadziulia, and Ihar Myslivets, were sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment in general-security penal colony. Katsiaryna Aryka was sentenced to 18 months of home confinement and released in the courtroom.
During the trial some details of the arrest were revealed: security officers came with machine guns, officers painted a swastika on the detainees, and some of the detainees were beaten.
In May, political prisoners Alena Dziadziulia, Ihar Myslivets, Volha Dubovik, Andrei Aryka, Maksim Dubeshka, and Alyaksandr Babko were released after serving their terms.
Six political prisoners in the “hay bale case” sentenced to prison. Security forces painted swastika on the detainees
Political prisoners from Maladziečna Dzmitryi Karabeinik and Ryhor Saladounikau have served their terms for blocking roads in their hometown
The men were detained on November 22, 2020, and accused of blocking a street in Maladziečna while holding a banner reading ‘As long as there is no law in the country, resistance is our duty’. On March 31, 2021, Dzmitryi and Ryhor were sentenced under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code to 18 months in an open-type penitentiary. In mid-May, the political prisoners were released, having served their sentences in full.
Aliaksandr Palivoda, 22, served his entire term on May 19
Aliaksandr is a resident of Vieĺjamovičy village of Brest district; he was sentenced to 12 months of restricted freedom in an open-type penitentiary for desecrating the state flag (Article 370 of the Criminal Code). According to the indictment, in January 2021 Palivoda tore the state flag from a local school and threw it away nearby. As part of this criminal case, the defendant's phone was seized and he had to sign a pledge not to leave. Since May 20, 2021, Aliaksandr has been serving his term in the open-type correctional facility No. 48.
On 21 May political prisoner Pavel Falkouski served his sentence in full and was released from Brest pre-trial detention center No. 7
Pavel was convicted for writing ‘Long live Belarus’ at the bus stop, as well as for the ‘ACAB’ (All Cops Are Bastards) graffiti left on the wall of the police station in Brest. On April 27, Maskoŭski District Court of Brest considered the case of Falkouski and found him guilty of committing a crime under Article 341 of the Criminal Code (desecration of buildings and damage to property). The political prisoner was sentenced to three months under arrest.
Political prisoner Liavon Khalatran has served his term and was released
- Political prisoner Liavon Khalatran says goodbye to the village where he served his term
Liavon is a volunteer at Viktar Babaryka's campaign headquarters. A year ago, he was convicted under Part 1 Article 342 of the Criminal Code to 24 months of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary for his participation in the post-election protest on August 9, 2020. On May 22, he returned home.
Two political prisoners were released after a year in prison
According to human rights defenders, political prisoner Pavel Churkin was released on May 24. Mahilioŭ resident was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment for insulting the president (Art. 368 of the Criminal Code).
On the same day, political prisoner Ryhor Mamanovich was released. On May 15, 2021, Stolin District Court sentenced him to 12 months of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility for desecrating the state flag (Article 370 of the Criminal Code). He was serving his sentence in open-type correctional facility No. 43 since June 6, 2021.
Political prisoner Hleb Fitsner, the first of the 12 people convicted in the ‘student case’, is out of jail
On May 30 he served his entire term, 24 months in a general-security penal colony. He pleaded guilty at the trial, so he got six months less than the other student activists.
Eleven political prisoners were released in the courtroom after receiving verdicts of guilty
- Anastasiya Kukharava (right) with her mother after the trial
At least 11 political prisoners were released from pre-trial detention facilities after the trials (the number may be an underestimate, as human rights defenders do not yet have all the results of the trials of political prisoners). Nine political prisoners were sentenced to three years under home confinement each:
- Anastasiya Toupik,
- Ihar Liashkevich and Dziyana Vashchylina,
- women's rights activist Volha Harbunova,
- brothers Illia and Mikita Valentsinovich,
- teacher Anastasiya Kukharava,
- Kaciaryna Nikicienka,
- historian Vadzim Usoski.
Two political prisoners were released awaiting the commencement of the sentence:
- 23-year-old Anastasiya Patsehina from Minsk sentenced to 2.5 years of freedom restriction in an open-type penitentiary;
- activist Maryna Kisialevich sentenced to four years in an open-type penitentiary.
Precautionary measures for three political prisoners were changed to non-custodial ones
- Maryna Dubrouskaya, Anton Stasheuski, Yuliya Syrykh
On May 6, political prisoners Yulia Syrykh and Tatsiana Astrouskaya, volunteers of the Country for Life Foundation, were released from pre-trial detention center. Their preventive measures were changed. The charges have not been dropped, but it is known that they were re-qualified from financing extremist activities to milder ones. The women have spent in the pre-trial detention center almost a year. Another volunteer of the foundation, Anton Stasheuski, remains in custody.
Also in mid-May, Ala Lapatka, a defendant in the ‘TUT.BҮ case’, was released from pre-trial detention center in Minsk. Her measure of restraint was changed, but she remains in the status of the accused. Ala spent almost a year behind bars.
At the same time, three other defendants in the same case remain in custody: editor-in-chief Maryna Zolatava, general director Liudmila Chekina and journalist Alena Talkachova.
