What happened to political prisoners on August 29–September 4

There are currently 1,324 political prisoners in Belarus – and counting. Every week the courts keep handing down new sentences and laying new charges against those already in custody. But there are also those who have served their term and are finally released. Viasna has collected all the news about political prisoners on August 29–September 4.

This week the list of political prisoners was updated with 21 new names.

Between August 29 and September 4, human rights defenders learned about at least 12 political prisoners who were convicted in courts:

• On August 12, 2022, the court found Kanstantsin Vysochyn guilty of ‘participating in group actions that grossly violate the public order’ under Article 342 of the Criminal Code and sentenced him to three years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility.
• On August 22, 2022, the Babrujsk District and City Court heard the case of Andrei Bialiawski, entrepreneur and TikTok-blogger. The political prisoner was found guilty of for ‘insulting the President’ under Article 368 of the Criminal Code and sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
• On August 22, 2022, the Judge of the Lieninski District Court of Minsk Tatsiana Shotik found Yuryi Basalai who is currently serving his time in a penal colony guilty of ‘insulting a government official’ under Article 369 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony in accordance with the concurrent sentencing rules.
• On August 31, 2022, Judge Yury Mashketau of the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk found Natallia Hancharenka guilty of ‘participating in group actions that grossly violated the public order’and sentenced her to three years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility under Article 342 of the Criminal Code. She was released awaiting the commencement of the sentence.
• On September 1, 2022, Judge Iryna Padun found Andrei Stsepankou guilty of ‘insulting the President, a government official, and a judge’ under Articles 368, 369, and 391 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 2.5 months in a general-security penal colony.
• Aliaksandr Komar wasconvicted of ‘threats of violence against a military officer’ and ‘participation in an extremist formation’ and received a concurrent sentence of three years of imprisonment under Articles 364 and 361-3 of the Criminal Code.
• Andrei Andreyeu was convicted of ‘threats of violence against a military officer’ and sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony under Article 364 of the Criminal Code.

Five people were convicted in the notorious Zeltser case brought after the fatal shooting between KGB officer Dzmitryi Fedasiuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser:

• On September 1, 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court found Natallia Nikitsina guilty of ‘insulting a government official’ and ‘inciting hatred’ under Articles 369 and 130 of the Criminal Code. Judge Valiantsina Ziankevich sentenced Nikitsina to 22 months of imprisonment and a fine of 6,400 Belarusian rubles (2,500 US dollars).
• On August 11, 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court sentenced political prisoner Vital Rohach. Rohach was accused of ‘organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate the public order’, ‘inciting hatred’, and ‘insulting a government official’ under Part 1 of Article 342, Part 1 of Article 130, and Article 369 of the Criminal Code accordingly. The court found Rohach guilty on all counts and sentenced him to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 6,400 Belarusian rubles (2,500 US dollars).
• At the end of August 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court passed a verdict on Ivan Rahatniou. Rahatniou was found guilty of ‘inciting hatred’ and sentenced to 19 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Article 130 of the Criminal Code.
• On August 29, 2022, the Asipovičy District Court sentenced Mikalai Halaukou to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 3,400 Belarusian rubles (1,350 US dollars). He was convicted of ‘insulting a government official’, ‘insulting the President’, and ‘discrediting Belarus’ under Articles 369, 368, and 369-1 of the Criminal Code. Judge Tatsiana Sakratarova considered the case behind closed doors.
• On August 26, 2022, Judge Nina Shastak convicted Stsiapan Talkachou of ‘inciting hatred’ and sentenced him to 2.5 years in a general-security penal colony under Article 130 of the Criminal Code.

Darya Chultsova, Andrei Tsimafeyenka, Andrei Karalenia, and Iryna Vikkholm have served their full terms and were released.