Photographer from Barysaŭ was sentenced to three years in colony

On January 30, the Minsk City Court sentenced Aliaksandr Ziankou, a photographer from Barysaŭ, to three years in a general security colony. Judge Zhanna Brysina charged him under Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code (participation in an extremist formation), the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) writes. According to his cellmate from the temporary detention facility on Akrescina, Aliaksandr's persecution is related to his videos posted on an "extremist" Internet resource.

Journalist Aliaksandr Ziankou. A photo from social media

Photographer Aliaksandr Ziankou was detained on June 22, 2023 after a search of his house in Barysaŭ. The man was placed in custody.

Aliaksandr Ziankou's former cellmate from the temporary detention facility on Akrescina told BAJ:

"On different days, there were 8 to 10 people in a cell designed for two. There didn't seem to be any signs of beatings on him: no bruises or scratches. Aliaksandr was calm. He said that he did not admit his guilt, that they demanded a password from his phone, but he refused to give it. He also refused the services of a state lawyer. About 5–6 days later, he was taken for an interrogation by an investigator, and he returned only five hours later. Upon returning, he said that he was charged with a criminal article for "facilitating the activities of an extremist formation", and that the charge was related to his video footage shown on an "extremist" Internet resource. Evidence of this was allegedly found in the devices that was confiscated from his house, since he himself did not tell the investigators anything."

Support Aliaksandr: SIZO No.1, 220030, Minsk, Valadarskaha, 2, Aliaksandr Aliaksandravich Ziankou