A court in Minsk has sentenced the chairman of the Belarusian human rights center Viasna, Ales Bialiatski, to 10 years in a strict regime colony. This news was reported by Viasna itself.
Bialiatski and other defendants in the case – deputy chairman of Viasna Valentin Stefanovich, Viasna lawyer and coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” Vladimir Labkovich, human rights activist Dmitry Solovyov – were all found guilty of cash smuggling and financing protests.
Stefanovich received nine years in a strict regime colony, while Labkovich received seven years in a strict regime colony. Solovyov was convicted in absentia and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
Bialiatski, Stefanovich, and Labkovich were arrested in July 2021. They were first charged with tax evasion, but the case was later dropped, and the human rights activists were charged again. According to the investigation, in 2016-2021 they transported at least €201 thousand and $54 thousand from Lithuania to Belarus, as well as financing protests in Belarus in 2020-2021. In particular, financing refers to the payment of fines, the work of lawyers, and providing food in detention centers for those detained because of the protests.
The human rights activists pleaded not guilty. The prosecution asked for them to serve nine to 12 years in jail.
Source: meduza
