Vitebsk City Court Sentenced Camera Operator Viachaslau Lazarau To 5.5 Years In Prison

They sentenced his wife to 3 years.

On September 25, political prisoner spouses Viachaslau Lazarau and Tatsiana Pytsko were sentenced to 5 and a half and 3 years in prison respectively, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

Viachaslau will serve his sentence in a medium-security prison, and Tatsiana will serve in a general-security prison.

Judge of the Vitebsk Regional Court Yauhen Burunov delivered the verdict against the spouses. The trial was held behind closed doors.

Recall that freelance camera operator Viachaslau Lazarau was detained on February 9, 2023, in Vitebsk, and a criminal case was opened against him under Part 2 of Article 361-4 (“Promoting extremist activities”). On June 6, Viachaslau’s wife, Tatsiana Pytsko, was detained. She was charged with the “creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it” Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code.

Social services placed the minor daughter of Tatsiana and Viachaslau in a regional hospital, which is done in cases where the child does not have close relatives or guardians nearby. But about a month later, Tatsiana’s relatives took the girl to their place. Tatsiana’s two children from her first marriage are now living with their biological father.