Viasna leadership receives from 7 to 10 years in jail

Judge Maryna Zapasnik of the Lieninski District Court of Minsk decided that the guilt of human rights defenders of “smuggling by an organized group” under Part 4 Article 228 of the Criminal Code and “financing of group actions grossly violating the public order” under Part 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code has been fully proven.

She assigned the following terms to the Viasna leaders:

• Viasna chair and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski received 10 years in a medium-security penal colony
• Viasna deputy chair and vice-president of FIDH Valiantsin Stefanovic received 9 years in a medium-security penal colony
• Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign coordinator Uladzimir Labkovich received 7 years in a medium-security penal colony
• human rights defender Zmitser Salauyou was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony (in absentia)

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