Political prisoners

Chief Inspector at Customs.

On October 10, 2023, the Minsk City Court began a closed trial of three customs officers: Yevgeny Gurinovich, Viktor Novik, and Vladimir Zhuromsky. They were charged under eight articles of the Criminal Code. Human rights activists have now learned that only 31-year-old customs inspector Yevgeny Gurinovich will be tried in this case, on February 27, 2024. The trial location is Pretrial Detention Center No. 1. Whether this could be due to the man's health condition is unknown. His case has likely been separated into separate proceedings, but the trial for the others has not yet been scheduled.

After his arrest, law enforcement officers severely injured Evgeny's back, forcing him to use crutches .

On May 24, 2024, Evgeniy had his appeal heard.

Employee of the State Customs Committee.

Customs officer.

In the Minsk City Court from October 10, 2023 to February 6, 2024, a closed hearing was held against three customs service employees Evgeniy Gurinovich, Viktor Novik and Vladimir Zhuromsky. In total, they were tried under eight articles of the Criminal Code. Among other things, they are accused of “treason to the state,” “promoting extremist activities,” “exceeding official authority,” “inciting other social hostility,” and “creating or participating in extremist formations.”

The details of the case and the reasons for the persecution are unknown to human rights activists.

On May 24, 2024, an appeal hearing was held and the verdict entered into force.

Detained for 2020 comments in telegram chats.

On December 22, 2023, an appeal court hearing was held. The verdict came into force.

Most likely the sentence involves imprisonment.

On December 1, 2023, an appeal hearing was held and the verdict entered into force.

The investigation believes that in January of this year, Ukrainian Likholat contacted the SBU, where he was instructed to blow up railway tracks. He recruited two Grodno residents who had professional skills in mine and explosives for the task. Pukhalsky Boris was detained when he took an explosive device from a hiding place in the Kobrin district and transported it to the Tolochin district.

Sentenced to 25 years in prison, the court ordered Boris to serve the first five years of his sentence in prison.

A Ukrainian who has lived in Belarus since 2013. In 2012-2013, Ivan served in the intelligence units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, BelTA reports. The investigation believes that in January of this year, Likholat contacted the SBU, where he was instructed to blow up railway tracks. He recruited two Grodno residents who had professional skills in mine and explosives for the task. Pukhalsky was detained when he took an explosive device from a hiding place in the Kobrin district and transported it to the Tolochin district. Likholat and Borodich were detained in Grodno.

Sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the court ordering Ivan to serve the first three years of his sentence in prison.

The investigation believes that in January 2023, Ivan Likholat contacted the SBU, where he was instructed to blow up railway tracks. He recruited two Grodno residents who had professional skills in mine and explosives for the task. One of them was Ivan Borodich.

Likholat and Borodich were detained in Grodno.

According to pro-government channels, he was detained for posting over 1,200 comments. Notably, the comments shown by security forces were primarily written in Belarusian and largely aimed at supporting Ukraine. All the comments shown were from YouTube.

In a video on security forces channels, five SOBR officers attack him, and later the man appears to be beaten: he has a badly black eye and a bloody head scratch.

Stepan works as a laborer at a private enterprise in Grodno. He also regularly goes to the gym and maintains good physical fitness, judging by his photos on social media.

It is known from former political prisoners that Stepan has not received any help from outside.

Father of political prisoner Nikita Zolotarev . Mikhail was detained on August 8, 2023 and sentenced to 15 days of arrest under Art. 19.11 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus (distribution of extremist materials). After the first arrest, he was not released and was sentenced under the same article to another 15 days, and then to another 15.

On September 22, 2023, on the eve of his release after serving his third administrative arrest in a row, he was again found guilty of committing an offense and sent to a detention center for the fourth time.

On October 24, by decision of the KGB, the closed Telegram chat “Gomel for Nikita Zolotorev” was recognized as an “extremist formation,” and its only designated participant was the father of the political prisoner, Mikhail Lapunov.

Human rights activists learned that some time after serving administrative arrests, Mikhail was taken into custody. As of the summer of 2024, he is being held in a pre-trial detention center .

A former military man, a resident of Minsk, who was forced by the special services under torture to participate in a provocation, within the framework of which the latter contacted representatives of BYPOL and offered to carry out direct actions. All negotiations and correspondence were recorded.

On March 19, 2024, an appeal hearing was held. The verdict came into force.

An EPAM employee. Arrested for donations. Dmitry's daughter was nine months old at the time of his arrest.

On February 6, 2024, the appeal was heard. The verdict entered into force.

Koval was detained on May 28, 2023 right at the border. He was returning from a competition in Slovakia, and upon entering Belarus, Koval’s phone was asked to be checked. The man himself provided the security forces with his phone and password. During the examination, he was found to have data that was “prohibited” according to the Belarusian security forces. Since that day, Koval has been in captivity.

At the criminal trial, Koval was accused of sending a video to the Nexta Editorial telegram bot on March 27, 2022. The video showed the movement of military equipment on the MKAD ring road (around Minsk). Thus, according to the state prosecution, Koval committed a crime, because the Belarusian authorities consider Nexta an “extremist formation.”

It is known that Danilchik was detained in Slonim in August 2023 and initially arrested for 15 days, after which a criminal case was opened .

According to the prosecution materials, Danilchik “repeatedly posted in extremist chats on the Telegram messenger and in public chats on the YouTube video hosting service information of an offensive nature against Lukashenko, degrading his honor, personal dignity and authority. From February 2022 to July 2023, he posted on the Internet in messages and comments that are indecent in form and derogatory in intent towards government officials in connection with the performance of their official duties."

He was detained in early May 2023, when he came to deliver a parcel to his brother Maksim Lopatin, who was detained in the Machulishchi case. Before that, the man lived in Lithuania. He was detained in the same case of sabotage in Machulishchi and charged under Article 289 of the Criminal Code. Later, the article was reclassified to 361-2 of the Criminal Code (financing of extremist activity).

At the trial, Andrei did not admit guilt.

On July 5, 2024, the appeal was heard and the verdict came into force.