In December, 55 people criminally convicted in political cases

In December the Human Rights Center Viasna observed a continuing trend toward criminal prosecution and conviction of citizens for political reasons. Sentencing in absentia was introduced last month to prosecute those who had left the country.

Activists have information about at least 55 citizens convicted in December, of which one-fifth are women and four-thirds are men (12 and 43 accordingly).

Two citizens were convicted in absentia. The criminal prosecution of one citizen was terminated due to the expiration of the period of limitation for initiating criminal prosecution.

December sentences in numbers:

• 36 people were sentenced to a total of 268 years and 3 months of imprisonment
• 2 people were sentenced to a total of 5 years of freedom restriction in an open-type penal facility
• 16 people were sentenced to a total of 39 years under home confinement
• 1 person was sentenced to 3 months of arrest (short-term imprisonment)
• 16 people received fines totaling 160,000 Belarusian rubles (approx. US$63,200) as an additional punishment to imprisonment (15 convicts) or home confinement (1 convict)
• 1 person was ordered coercive treatment in addition to imprisonment
• 1 person was banned from law enforcement positions for 5 years

In December, the courts handed down custodial sentences in about two-thirds (65%) of all cases. Another 4% of the sentences involved restriction of freedom in open-type facilities while home confinement was ordered in almost every third case (29%). In one ‘political’ case (2%) the court ordered the arrest, a short-term imprisonment.

Thus, various types of custodial and freedom-restricting sentences were handed down in all of the politically motivated cases in December.