2022 brought the repressions and squashing of any free thought at the same scale as in 2021. After the full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, conducted though the Belarusian territory as well, things couldn’t be different. Lukashenko’s dictatorship needed to subdue everyone who could rebel against it.
Criminal prosecution
Receiving information about politically motivated criminal cases is becoming much harder. The courts almost always close the trials, lawyers loose their licenses, some lawyers are even arrested and prosecuted.
In 2022 cases that were opened in 2021 got their verdict. Also the repressions affected more people and there were new criminal cases open.
Anarchists Alexander Belov, Evgeny Rubashko, and both Artsiom Soloveys got a new criminal accusation “participation in the extremist formation” Pramen, which made their maximum sentence rise up to 6 years. Their previous accusation was article 342, “gross violation of public order”.
The trial of these 4 anarchists started on March 29 and the court immediately closed it to the providing two reasons for this decision: the fact that there was another ongoing case related to it that included their accomplices. Also there was extremist information in the materials of the case.
The sentence was announced on April 22. Alexander Belov, Evegeny Rubashko, and Artsiom Dmitrievich Solovey got 5 years in prison, Artsiom Sergeevich Solovey got 4.5 years. Since the trial was closed to public, we don’t know the core of the accusations. Some ideas about the trial process you can get from the published last words of Jauhien Rubashko and his interview.
Write a letter:
Aleksandr Andreevich Belov
IK №22, stanciya Domanovo, a/ya 20,
Brestskaya obl, Ivacevichy,
225295, Belarus
Solovey Artem Dmitrievich
IK №17, Shklov,
213004, 1-ya Zavodskaya ulica, 8
Belarus
Solovey Artem Sergeevich
IK №15, Slavgorodskoe shosse 183,
Veino, Mogilev, 213105.
Belarus
Evgeny Aleksandrovich Rubashko
IK №2. ulica Sikorskogo 1
213800, Bobruysk
Belarus
The first court hearing of Mikita Emelyanov’s violation of prison regulation took place on 27th of January. During his time in prison, Mikita got reported for violating prison regulations more than 60 time. The hearing happened in jail and only his parents were allowed to attend.
Nikita refused to stand up when addressing judge Oksana Rakitnikova who gave him a warning and then removed him from the courtroom.
The second hearing took place on the 11th of February and Mikita wasn’t present. During this hearing the judge read the case’s materials according to which Mikita refused to testify and sign procedural documents.
On March 11th Mikita received the sentence for “gross violation of prison regulations”. He was sentenced to two additional years of imprisonment. Taken together with the rest of his initial sentence, it amounts to three and a half years of imprisonment. Court proceedings took place at the territory of prison nr. 4 in Mahilioŭ.
Mikita acknowledged facts of minor insubordination to prison administration (e.g. refusal to name himself during the check-up), but refused to acknowledge any guilt. He explained that all facts of insubordination took place in protest of violation of his rights by prison administration (e.g. right to correspondence, religious rights).
He repeatedly refused to stand up in presence of the judge, also when pronouncing his last word.
Write a letter:
Emelyanov Nikita Vladimirovich
IK-11, ul. Rokossovskogo 118, Volkovyssk, Volkovysski r-n, Grodnenskaya obl., 231900
BELARUS
Anarchist Aliaxander Zaitsau was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “attempted act of terrorism by a group of persons”, article 289.2. He was detained on the 22nd of August 2021 near the dacha of Valentin Sukalo, the Chairman of the Supreme Court and was accused of the arson attempt. According to our information he went to the case together with provocateur Akulich Dmitry Aleksandrovich, whom he had met while he was on administrative detention. We do not know Akulich’s status in this case, but he is most likely a witness with a false name of Sergeenko. It is remarkable that Akulich was given a real passport with a fake name to do the operation with Zaytsau.
Write a letter:
Zaytsev Aleksandr Vladimirovich
212013, Mogilev, p/o Veino, Slavgorodskoe shosse 183, IK №15
Belarus
On the 25th of November the trial for the “international criminal organization of anarchists” has started. There are 10 accused: Maria Rabkova, Aliaxander Frantzkevich, Akihiro Gaeuski-Hanada, Andrei Chepuk, Pavel Shpetny, Aliaxander Kozlianko, Andrei Marach, Aliaksei Halouko, Mikita Dranetz and Daniil Chul. The latter cooperated with the police. Sergey Hripach, the judge, closed the trial for the public. Some of the accused refused to stand up when addressing the court.
The sentences were announced on the 6th of September. Since the trial was closed to the public, we don’t know any details of the case. There were 13 different accusations based on various articles of the criminal code, and overall 160 tomes of materials. The sentences were the following:
– Aliaxander Frantzkevich* – 17 years
– Akihiro Gaeuski-Hanada – 16 years
– Maria Rabkova – 15 years
– Andrei Chepuk, Pavel Shpetny, Aliaxander Kozlianko, Mikita Dranez – 6 years
– Daniil Chul and Andrei Marach – 5 years
Write a letter:
SIZO-1, ul. Volodarskogo 2, Minsk, 220030
*Name of the prisoner”
Antifascists Kristina Cherenkova and Anna Pyshnik were detained on the 22nd of March during the searches of many antifascists and musicians of counter-culture bands in Mozyr. Kristsina Charankova was accused of “instigating social hatred” to the police for several Instagram posts. Anna Pyshnik was accused of “assistance to extremist actions” for filming a video of Russian helicopters and sending it to “a disruptive media outlet”. Anna was sentenced to 3 years and Kristsina was sentenced to 2,5 years in prison.
Write a letter:
Cherenkova Kristina Aleksandrovna
SIZO-3, ul. Knizhnaya 1A, Gomel, 246003
Pyshnik (Chimpoyesh) Anna Gennadyevna
IK № 4, ul. Antoshkina 3, Gomel, 246035
Birthday – April 2
Anarchist Aleh Audzijenka was detained on th 25th of February, first on administrative charges, but then he was accused of “organization of actions in gross violations of public order”. During the search of his home, anarchist flags and literature were found.
On 5 July 2022, he was sentenced to 3 years of probation and released in the court room.
On the 25th of November there was a second trial for Dzmitry Dubouski. He was accused of several instances of direct action from 2008 to 2010 and got sentenced for two articles of the criminal code for which he was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Combining this with his previous sentence of 18 years and taking into account partial the partial addition of two sentences his overall sentence is 20 years in prison. Dzmitry didn’t plead guilty to any accusation but did confirm his participation in the attack on police station in Saligorsk.
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SIZO № 2, ul. Gagarina 2 g. Vitebsk, 210026
Dmitry Nikolaevich Dubovski
Anastasia Kukhta had been arrested on 17 February on administrative charges, her apartment had been searched and she had been sentenced to 15 days of arrest. Later she became a suspect in a criminal case, and on 12 March she was charged with organization of action grossly violating the public order (article 342.1 of the Criminal Code).
On 10 October the trial of Anastasia Kukhta started in Minsk City Court. She is accused of participation in protests (Article 342), calling for sanctions or actions aimed at damaging the national security of the Republic of Belarus (Article 361 part 3) and creation or participation in an extremist formation (Article 361-1 part 1 of the Criminal Code).
She was sentenced to 5 years in prison on November 11th.
Write a letter:
Anastasia Sergeyevna Kukhta
ul. Volodarskogo 2, SIZO-1
220030 Minsk Belarus
On the 12th of April Gayane Ahtiyan, the mother of anarchist Roman Khalilov, was sentenced to 3 years in correctional facility. Elena Busheva, Frunzensky district judge, proclaimed her guilty for participation in actions grossly violating public order. Gayane was in jail for four months prior to the trial and was released in court after the sentence was announced for the period before the start of her sentence.
She was detained on November 26th 2021 when the police broke open her door and did a raid search. After the search she was arrested and detained for 10 days. The propaganda media in Belarus showed the videos of her arrest with the message “Parents are to responsible for their kids”.
Roman Khalilov is not in Belarus. Earlier it became known that he’s accused for the article of criminal code number 130 for an action near Belarusian embassy in Warsaw. He’s also on the wanted list of people for the case of “international criminal group of anarchists”.
In March Vadim Dzenisenko was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and Rita Zotova and Nikita Hilkevich to 2 years for posting anarchist stickers created by Pramen channel.
Administrative cases
On 26 January anti-fascists Daniil Ivanov and Daniil Marchenko were detained in Minsk. Their flat was raid searched. The guys were tried for disobedience to the police. Ivanov got 15 days of arrest, Marchenko – 14 days.
On 22 March homes of ten antifascists and punk musicians from Mazyr were raided. Two were detained on criminal charges: Krystsina Charankova and Anna Pyshnik.
Other faced administrative punishment: Aliaksandr Dzeravien’ka, Anton Bialiak, Albert Zubarau, Andrej Otchyk were sentenced to 10 days of arrest, Arciom Shkirman – to 15 days of arrest.
On the 4th of August Ihar Bantser was detained again and brought to Minsk. The police drew up 18 administrative offence reports for him. Overall, served 45 days for the “dissemination of extremist materials”.
Viktar “Mao” Zharkevich, a famous punk musician, was detained on the 5th of September. The video published by cops depicts him in handcuffs carrying a refrigerator door covered in anarchist stickers. He got 13 days of arrest.
On the 26th of September antifascists Vadzim Rudkouski, Daniil Marchanka, and Pavel Siarhei were detained. They all were sentenced to 11 days of arrest.
Repressions in penitentiary facilities
At the beginning of January it became known that Mikalai Dziadok was put in a punishment cell for three days on New Year’s Eve, and has been precautionary filed as “prone to suicide and self-mutilation” – for having cut his hands and stomach six years ago in a correctional institution. The anarchist already has seven out of ten possible preventive registrations.
On 12 February Mikola Dziadok was transferred from prison nr. 4 in Mahilioŭ to a penal colony IK-9 in Horki. Immediately upon arrival to IK-9 Mikola was placed to a punishment isolation cell for 7 days, and then deprived of a protracted meetings with a relative. Moreover, his limit on acquiring basic staples from a prison kiosk was lowered from 6 to 2 ‘basic quantities’ (from 192 to 64 Belarusian roubles) a month. He was also deprived of letters – prison censorship bans all letters arriving.
Since then he was put into punishment cell 4 more times, and after one of this cases placed him in a colony group where administration and prisoners that support them try to threaten other prisoners not to communicate with Mikola.
On March 10, as a protest against mail limitations and such actions of the prison administration, Mikola refused to work. For this, he was put into a prison cell. Two prisoners who communicated with him were put into punishment cell.
On March 22 the father of the anarchist tried to send him a permitted package but it was denied.
Later we found out about one more way to suppress the anarchist. He started to receive the formal documents confirming that the letters sent to him were destroyed. The documents state “the letter dated … was destroyed because of its cynical nature”.
At the end of June there was a trial to transfer Mikola from penitentiary facility to a prison with cell-style housing in Grodno. He will spend there the rest of his sentence (around three years).
Write a letter:
Dedok Nikolay Aleksandrovich
Turma-1, ul. Kirova 1, Grodno, 230023
Belarus
Mikita Jemialjanau again was placed to a punishment isolation cell on 18 January. His term there was prolonged again and again, as prison administration invented new reasons to isolate him. For instance, Mikita refuses to clean a courtyard where inmates walk. Unlike other inmates, Mikita does not litter in a courtyard, so he sees no reason why he has to clean it. He was sentenced to cumulative 46 days of isolation. On 3 February Mikita started a ‘dry’ hunger strike to protest humiliating treatment by prison administration. 10 days later he started to drink water, as his state became critical.
On 22 February Mikita was visited by a deputy head of Mahilioŭ region penitentiary administration who reassured Емельянова that all the issues he had raised will be dealt with.
On 23 February Mikita stopped his hunger strike and started to eat. He passed special thanks to those who submitted appeals on his behalf to various state offices. Mikita felt this solidarity.
On 17 March Mikita’s family tried to meet him, but prison administration cancelled the meeting by sending Mikita to punishment isolation cell.
Head of the prison told family members that Mikita will start receiving letters after he will stop fighting for his rights, and proposed family members to ‘influence’ Mikita. Relatives are not going to subsume to such blackmail.
Mikita was kept in punishment isolation cell for 10 days from 17 March. He spent his birthday (24 March) there.
The head of the prison hinted that Mikita will start receiving mail if his relatives influence him so that he stops protesting injustices in the treatment he gets. However, his relatives don’t agree. Mikita says that he won’t renounce his beliefs.
Mikita Jemialjanau has spent 46 days more in a punishment cell was let out for 5 days and then put in there again. His health deteriorated as a result of this; his joints began to ache badly. The medical parcel sent by his relatives was not given to him.
Later he was transferred to the correctional facility in Vokovyssk where he was regularly sent to punishment cell on manufactured pretext, including communication with Siarhei Ramanau.
In November he was put into a cell-style housing and also received 10 days in punishment cell. These days are not counted for his sentence. He was put into punishment cell prior to winter holidays as well.
Write a letter:
Emelyanov Nikita Vladimirovich
IK-11, ul. Rokossovskogo 118, Volkovyssk, Volkovysski r-n, Grodnenskaya obl., 231900
BELARUS
On 16 March Dzmitry Dubouski was placed to punishment isolation cell for unknown reason. Later his term in isolation cell was prolonged until 5 April.
He was also put into a punishment cell on his birthday, July 27. He spent there more than a month.
Write a letter:
SIZO № 2, ul. Gagarina 2 g. Vitebsk, 210026
Dmitry Nikolaevich Dubovski
As Ihar Alinevich was transferred to IK-20 prison, he was put into a punishment cell at once where he spent a month. Later he was transferred to a prison cell and the facility started to process his transfer to a cell-style housing prison in Zhodino. He was sent there in August.
He was put into a punishment cell on the 24th of September, his birthday. Ihar started a hunger strike in protest. Before that, Ihar was always against hunger strikes and never participated in one. He stopped the hunger strike at the middle of October.
Write a letter:
Sledstvennaya tyurma №8, Zhodino,
222163, ul. Sovetskaya, 22A
Igor Vladimirovich Olinevich
Siargey Ramanau was also put into the punishment cell from time to time throughout the year. He was bereaved from receiving one package and can’t call his relatives. He lost 10 kilos while in prison. At the end of August we learned that he was put into a prison cell for a month.
In December he was put into a punishment cell for 4 months and deprived of the right to receive a package and call his family.
Write a letter:
IK-11, Volkovysky rayon, Grodnenskay oblast, 231900, Volkovysk, ul. Rokossovskogo, 118
Romanov Sergey Aleksandrovich
Not only the anarchists, but all the political prisoners are experiencing excessive pressure from prison administrations, although their intensity and frequency depends on a facility. Some prisons limit political prisoners’ right to long visitation or calls to their family, some don’t prevent lawyers from seeing their clients, some don’t accept packages. Prisoners try to make the lives of prisoners as unbearable as possible.
Some good news
We would like to end our yearly report on a couple pieces of good news. We hope that there will be more of them in the future.
On the 11th of January antifascist Andrei Kazimirau was released from jail in Moscow under the pladge to appear in court. In September Andrei managed to escape the repressive regimes and came to a safe country far away from Belarusian police.
Pavel Bialanau, the guitarist of the Deviation band, who had been charged with insulting the prеsident by the “Fuck Luka” tattoo was released due to the expiration of the period of limitation for the institution of criminal proceedings.