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- Athletes
A famous basketball referee, he was arrested for creating a basketball chat.
He was detained in January 2024 when he was returning to Belarus. He is currently in pretrial detention. He is accused of "insulting Lukashenko" and "creating an extremist group" under Articles 361-1 and 368 of the Criminal Code.
Syritsa had previously believed that coming to Belarus was not associated with major risks. His wife was also detained at the border (she spent a day in jail). And the chat participants were summoned for questioning.
Alexander Syritsa has been one of the best basketball referees in Belarus for many years. A FIBA referee since 2005. In 2019, together with his colleagues, Syritsa filed a lawsuit against the basketball federation, lost and was blacklisted. He lived in Australia, did business, and often visited Ukraine.
On January 16, the KGB recognized the "Fund of Belarus Friend LTD" as an "extremist organization" - at that time it was reported that Belarusian citizen Alexander Syritsa was related to it.
Minsk, Dunin-Martsinkevich street, 1
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- IT staff
Cheslav Gerasimovich is 37 years old. He is from Minsk.
For some time in 2022, Gerasimovich worked in Vilnius, but in the fall of 2022 he returned to Minsk.
On June 26, Cheslav was convicted of “disobeying a police officer” in an administrative case.
Judging by the GUBOPiK video, Gerasimovich is accused of donating to the “extremist formation” four times. He is probably accused under Article 361-2 of the Criminal Code.
Gerasimovich writes on social networks that he has been conducting training in psychotherapy for more than 15 years. Since 2011, he began working as a tester. He is interested in music and plays the guitar, and also writes poetry and short prose.
A resident of Bobruisk was detained on February 26, 2024, the day after returning from Poland.
First, he was convicted under administrative article 19.11 (distribution of extremist materials), and then a criminal case was opened under article 361-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (creation of an extremist group). Maxim is allegedly considered involved in the creation of the extremist group “Bobruisk 375”.
Trial outcome 27.09.2024: 7 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
He was detained in February when he returned to Belarus from work. Previously, Alexander worked at a locomotive depot, but after 2020 he was either fired or quit himself - it seems that the dismissal was politically motivated. After that, Kamlenok worked as a truck driver in Western countries. And when he returned home from work, he was detained. He was accused of insulting a government official.
The Verkhnedvinsky District Court recognized Alexander’s page on Odnoklassniki as extremist.
Trial outcome 16.08.2024: unknown.
Appeal 29.10.2024: unknown.
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- Entrepreneurs
Most likely he was detained in the summer of 2023. In 2013, Arthur opened his own business store, Grandbazaare, where he sold branded clothing and shoes. The VKontakte group has more than 40 thousand subscribers. In recent years, his company has specialized in the Under Armor brand. And from 2023, he translated the pages of his business into the Belarusian language.
Arthur is interested in sports, but especially football, and even previously played in amateur leagues as a goalkeeper. He uses football players and other athletes as photos for his avatars on social networks.
In addition to imprisonment, Arthur was awarded a fine of 700 basic units.
Trial outcome 20.05.2024: 9 years of imprisonment in colony under enhanced security conditions.
Appeal 09.08.2024: unknown.
Detained for solidarity with political prisoners.
Ekaterina Mendrik is 26 years old. According to information on social networks, she was born in Lida, but moved to Grodno as a child. Ekaterina studied at the University of Warsaw and lived in Poland for a long time.
According to the court schedule, before her arrest in the criminal case, Ekaterina was convicted at least twice under political administrative protocols after crossing the border. It is unknown whether she lived abroad.
Mendrik was detained after the January raid on supporters of political prisoners, as she sent parcels and made transfers to political prisoners in pretrial detention. According to human rights activists, the detention occurred a little later, as the girl was abroad at the time of the raid - she was detained upon her return to Belarus.
Trial outcome 16.09.2024: 3 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
- Associations
- IT staff
Marina Leonovich is 28 years old. She graduated from BSUIR and after university worked at EPAM as a front-end developer. After the start of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, the girl moved to Georgia, to Tbilisi.
Leonovich's arrest became known in October 2023. It is unknown why the girl decided to return to Belarus.
Marina is accused of financing “extremist activity” (parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-2 of the Criminal Code) and “participation in the material support of activities to use citizens of Belarus to participate in armed conflicts on the territory of a foreign state” (part 2 of Article 361-3 of the Criminal Code). Usually, people are tried under such articles for donations, for example, to Kalinovsky’s regiment. The girl faces five to ten years in prison, writes Nasha Niva.
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- Foreign citizens
Citizen of Poland. It is known that on July 19, 2022, Roman arrived in Belarus and disappeared: nothing was known about his whereabouts, and the South-West search and rescue team announced a search for him. Later it became known that Galuza was alive and his whereabouts had been established - without any details. But an acquaintance of Roman wrote on social networks that he was in a KGB pre-trial detention center.
In Poland, Galuza graduated from university, received citizenship, and volunteered, including helping Belarusian refugees. Roman’s detention could have been planned in advance by the Belarusian security forces.
Now he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Trial outcome 15.07.2024: unknown.
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- Parents of minors
Igor worked in Poland as an electrician. He was detained while crossing the Polish-Belarusian border.
In the pro-government video, Sorokin says that he went out onto the roadway and blocked traffic. The video clearly shows a protest on August 10, 2020, which took place in Brest. Namely, the moment of the clash at the intersection of boulevards and Masherov Avenue.
1.5 years imprisonment
- Associations
- Foreign citizens
- Retirees
Galina Krasnyanskaya is 67 years old. She comes from Bobruisk, probably from the family of a military serviceman; on social networks it is indicated that she was born in the “military town of Kiselevichy”. Once there was a large military garrison there and the school was created just for military children. After school she went to Minsk to study as a chemist at the Belarusian Technological Institute (now BSTU). But after that, Galina worked in military units, according to her social networks. For example, from 1981 to 1986 in unit No. 48819, based in the pro-Soviet part of Germany-GDR.
She probably subsequently moved to Sweden. She must also have Swedish citizenship.
It is unknown when the woman returned to Belarus, but not earlier than the spring of 2023. The date of detention is also unknown. The article under which Galina is accused most often means a donation to Belarusian volunteers or to help Ukraine.
Trial outcome 12.01.2024: 5 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
Appeal 12.04.2024: the sentence was upheld.
Stanislav was detained upon returning to Belarus from Poland, where he had moved more than a year earlier. He came home in late 2023 to spend the holidays with his family, but was arrested in connection with a criminal case opened after protests on August 10, 2020, in Brest against the falsification of the presidential election. Stanislav was convicted of participating in “mass riots.”
In a pro-government confessional video published, he says that he "participated in protests and went out onto the roadway." The recording shows that Stanislav's face is scratched, although no such damage was visible when he was detained.
Trial outcome 06.05.2024: 4 years 6 months of imprisonment in colony under enhanced security conditions.
Appeal 05.07.2024: the sentence was upheld.
Georgy Cherevako was detained in August while returning from the United States. He was convicted for a donation of $21.29, which he sent from his PayPal account in support of the Kalinowski Regiment. A Belarusian card was linked to the account, from which the funds were debited. The authorities considered these to be deliberate actions “for the purpose of financing activities for the recruitment, training, and other preparation” of persons for armed conflict in Ukraine.
At the trial, he said that he voluntarily told the officers who detained him that he was subscribed to numerous “extremist” telegram channels, and admitted that he had made a transfer to the account of Polk Kalinovsky.
He himself gave the employees passwords to enter the payment system. He said that he made a donation because he hoped that these funds would be used to purchase helmets, body armor, and medicines, but he understood that they would use them according to their own understanding and, among other things, buy weapons and ammunition with them.
5 years of imprisonment in a colony under enhanced security conditions
It is known that the woman was detained when she returned from Italy.
On March 15, 2024, the appeal was considered.
unknown years of imprisonment in a colony under general regime conditions
Originally from Vitebsk , studied in Gomel, but recently lived in Grodno. An engineer by profession, he recently worked as a system administrator at Whitebird. Judging by social networks, he lived in Warsaw.
The man is also a radio amateur. Member of the Belarusian Federation of Radio Amateurs and Radio Athletes.
The consideration of the case began in January 2024, the last meeting was held on March 29, 2024
unknown
Detainee Konstantin Bich said in his “repentance” video that he had previously been prosecuted under administrative article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and also received a fine for hanging a white-white flag. According to him, and for insulting a police officer on social networks. Pro-government telegram channels report that the man recently returned to Belarus from EU countries. On November 24, 2023, the appeal was considered, and the verdict came into force.
1 year of restriction of freedom with transfer to an open correctional facility.