University Teachers, Head Of Student Dormitory Convicted In Minsk

The case of political prisoners was considered by judge Alena Bushava.

On October 31, the Frunzensky District Court of Minsk issued a verdict in a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code, brought against university teachers Natallia Sivitskaya, Nadzeja Staravoitava and head of the student dormitory Alena Drabudzka. They were accused of participating in protests in 2020 and subscribing to “destructive” channels, human rights activists report.

Before her arrest, Natallia Sivitskaya worked as an associate professor at the Department of Belarusian and Russian Languages at the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture, she is a candidate of philological sciences.

Political prisoner Nadzeja Staravoitava is a teacher of the Belarusian language, candidate of philological sciences and associate professor of the department of Belarusian and Russian languages. Nadzeja was detained on July 23, 2023.

Alena Drabudzka was detained in early August 2023. She worked as the head of dormitory #4 of Belarusian State Economic University.

Pro-government Telegram channels claim that the woman “incited students to participate in breaking the law in 2020 and has been campaigning against the authorities ever since.”

The case was considered by judge Alena Bushava.

As it became known, teachers Nadzeja Staravoitava and Natallia Sivitskaya have been sentenced to three years of liberty restriction without sending to a specialized institution, while head of the dormitory Alena Drabudzka has been sentenced to 2.5 years of the same.