Five Homel Medical University Students Arrested For ‘Extremi

Several of them were tried by Siarhei Karmanovich.

Five students of the Homel State Medical University were arrested and fined for “extremism” on the Internet, Homel Viasna learned.

Administrative cases were filed against the students at the Central District Department of Internal Affairs of Homel under Part 2 of Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences — “Distribution, production, storage, transportation of information products containing calls for extremist activities or promoting such activities.” The detainees were placed in a temporary detention center pending trial.

According to the materials of the administrative case, Mikalai Vakulchyk, the administrator of an online community on a social network, stored “extremist materials” in a group, and Mikalai Lin posted an article in a group on the VKontakte messenger through which one could go to a channel with “extremist materials.” For this they were arrested for 15 days. The case was considered on October 20 by Siarhei Karmanovich, judge of the Central District Court of Homel.

Also in the same court of the Central District of Homel, two more decisions were made. The cases were considered by judge Tatsiana Voukava. According to the court decision, Maksim Kachayla was fined on October 20 for posting on his public social media page a logo included in the list of “extremist materials,” through which one could go to a channel with “extremist materials.” Kiryl Lukashevich, according to the materials of the case considered on October 23, did the same in a group on the VKontakte social network. They were fined for 20 base fees, which is 740 rubles, each.

Maryna Tsiushkevich, as follows from the case filed against her, sent messages from “extremist” Internet resources via messenger. For this, on October 23, the Homel District Court fined her for 10 base fees, which is 370 rubles. The case was heard by Judge Andrei Suslo.