Critical blogger’s son sentenced to 1 year in prison

Aliaksei Miliukou, the son of blogger Aleh Zhalnou, has been sentenced to 1-year imprisonment on charges of ‘evading the serving of punishment” (Article 415 of the Criminal Code). The Navapolack Court found him guilty of refusing to observe the rules while serving a 3-year sentence in an open-type prison.

According to the prosecution, Miliukou had eight disciplinary records, including a penalty for refusing to shave. He was also accused of failing to perform correctional labor.

Taking into account the unserved part of the initial sentence, the judge ruled that Aliaksei Miliukou should serve 1 year and 3 months in a medium-security colony.

Aliaksei Miliukou pleaded not guilty, but, according to the judge, his guilt is confirmed by the case file.

In July 2014, Miliukou was convicted of beating a traffic policeman. According to his father, Aleh Zhalnou, the acts of harassment are linked to his criticism of the authorities. Zhalnou runs a famous blog. He has repeatedly exposed violations committed by police officers in his home town of Babrujsk.