Five Minsk judges responsible for the highest number of political convictions
As of December 12, 2024, Viasna is aware of at least 6,270 people convicted under criminal "protest" articles. Courts all over Belarus have been handling political cases for more than four years. The names of some judges involved in the repression have been known since 2020, and some even earlier. Viasna reports on the five most repressive judges in Minsk who have been handling criminal political cases for more than four years.
- Illustration by spring96.org
Viktoryia Shabunia — at least 121 convicts
The name of this judge from the Tsentraĺny District Court was known among public activists even before the events of 2020. She willingly took administrative political cases for "unauthorized picketing." And now she works with protest articles, mainly Article 342 of the Criminal Code.
Viktoryia Shabunia is the first judge who began trying protesters for the events of June 14, 2020, when Minsk residents took to the streets to oppose the non-registration of Viktar Babaryka and Valer Tsapkala as presidential candidates. Among those convicted by her are Anton Lakishyk and Uladzislau Ustsin.
Shabunia also sentenced Siarhei Kapanets, a member of the Babaryka initiative group, to five and a half years in a penal colony. He was accused of aiding Stsiapan Putsila, Raman Pratasevich, and others in organizing mass riots by transmitting information and videos of the movement of the security forces' special equipment on August 9, 2020 to a Telegram channel, as well as distributing leaflets given to him by Yury Vaskrasenski and coordinating the movement of people from shopping center Spektr to the Peršamajski district administration after the closing of polling stations on August 9, 2020.
Viktoryia Shabunia sentenced political prisoner Yahor Suhoidz to two years in a penal colony. The man was hit by a prisoner truck near the Minsk Hero City Obelisk on August 9. Doctors diagnosed him with a fracture of six ribs on the right side with lung damage, a closed craniocerebral injury, and a ruptured eardrum. And then Yahor was charged under Article 293 of the Criminal Code.
Dzmitry Karsiuk — at least 101 convicts
In the spring of this year, Karsiuk moved from the Tsentraĺny District Court to Kastryčnitski and continues to try protesters. He has already sentenced at least 101 political convicts.
In 2022, Dzmitry Karsiuk sentenced the editor-in-chief of Novy Chas, Aksana Kolb, to 2.5 years in an open-type correctional institution for participating in the march on August 16, 2020. The examination of the written evidence took place in a closed session.
Also two years ago, Karsiuk sentenced the cousin of politician Pavel Latushka Anatol Latushka, as well as Liliya Ananian and Alena Malinouskaya. For distributing leaflets before the referendum, participating in a march, drawing the Chase coat of arms, and burning the national flag, Karsiuk sentenced Anatol to six years in a penal colony, Alena to four years in a penal colony, Liliya to five years of home confinement.
Dzmitry Karsiuk also sentenced ex-investigator Yahor Viarshynin to two years in a penal colony.
Now Karsiuk is also handling cases on the replacement of home confinement with imprisonment in a penal colony. In some ecases, in absentia.
Anastasiya Achalava — at least 69 convicts
Since 2020, Judge Anastasia Achalava has convicted at least 69 people on criminal charges. Among those convicted is feminist and blogger Darya Afanasyeva. In 2022, Achalava sentenced Darya to two and a half years in a penal colony under Article 342 of the Criminal Code.
One of Achalava's most high-profile cases is the trial of the members of the band Irdorath. Under Article 342 of the Criminal Code, she sentenced Anton Shnip, Juliya and Piotr Marchanka to a year and a half in a penal colony. Achalava found the musicians guilty under two parts of Article 342 of the Criminal Code.
Maksim Trusevich — at least 69 convicts
- Judge Maksim Trusevich
In the Peršamajski District Court, Judge Maksim Trusevich continues to try for participating in protest actions, comments, and other forms of disagreement with the current government. He has already convicted 69 people, 49 of whom were protesters sentenced under Article 342 of the Criminal Code.
Thus, in early 2021, Trusevich sentenced 30-year-old Mikita Kharlovich to five years in a penal colony. The judge ignored the man's statement about being beaten by the employees of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption to get "the necessary testimony."
Trusevich also sentenced a talented BSU student, Yauhen Kalinouski, to four years in a penal colony for the events of July 14, 2020, in Minsk.
Zhanna Khvainitskaya — at least 56 convicts
The judge of the Zavadskoj district of Minsk convicted at least 56 people in political cases. However, this judge was known for the criminal prosecution of anarchists long before 2020.
On May 27, 2011, in the Zavadskoj District Court of Minsk, she heard the Case of Anarchists against Mikalai Dziadok, Ihar Alinevich, and Aliaksandr Frantskevich (who have been recently convicted in new cases in connection with the events of 2020). They were accused of organizing an anti-militarist march near the Ministry of Defense, attacking the Shangri La casino and the Akrescina detention center, setting fire to the doors of a Belarusbank branch, and attacking the Russian embassy.
Zhanna Khvainitskaya sentenced Mikalai to four and a half years in a penal colony, Ihar Alinevich to eight years in a penal colony, and Aliaksandr Frantskevich to three years in a penal colony.
In the summer of 2021, Khvainitskaya sentenced three Drivers 97% Telegram channel administrators, Dzianis Hutsin, Hanna Vishniak, and Viktoryia Kulsha, to a penal colony. According to the prosecution's version, they "deliberately called for mass riots, roadblocks due to dissatisfaction with the authorities and election fraud." Viktoryia Kulsha has not yet been released due to the great pressure and new persecution in custody.
At the beginning of 2022, she handled the high-profile case on hacking the Minsk City Executive Committee computer system. She sentenced political prisoners and brothers Kim and Aliaksei Samusenka to six and a half and four years in a general security penal colony, respectively; Pavel Drozd and Ivan Andrushoits, to three and a half years for each in a penal colony. Judge Zhanna Khvainitskaya handled the case in closed session because "the materials of the criminal case contain information constituting a state secret."
Zhanna Khvainitskaya also tried the famous ceramicist Natallia Karneyeva for participating in protest actions.
Anzhela Kastsiukevich (at least 55 convicts), Mikhail Makarevich (at least 48), Yuliya Murashka (at least 48), Yuliya Blizniuk (at least 43), Sviatlana Charapanava (at least 41), Alena Shylko (at least 39), Valiantsin Ziankevich (at least 36) still try people in politically motivated criminal cases.
