Five Mahiliou Residents Tried For Participating In Peaceful Protests In 2020

Among them is a family with young children.

On June 13, the Leninsky District Court of Mahiliou announced the verdict against five local residents who were accused of “group actions violating public order” (Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus), Mayday.team reports.

Judge Natallia Panasenka found Andrei Tsimonin, Valer Inchyn,Mikhail Pishchala, Sviatlana Kotava and Dzianis Kotau guilty of participating in peaceful marches in Minsk in August and September 2020, as well as of “going out onto the roadway”, which allegedly blocked public transport.

Only one person, Andrei Tsimonin, was sentenced to actual imprisonment. Panasenka decided to punish him with 2 years in a general regime colony. It is important to note that in January 2024, Tsimonin was also subjected to administrative arrest for distributing “extremist materials”.

Valer Inchyn and Dzianis Kotau were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of liberty restriction and would be sent to a specialized penal facility.

Sviatlana Kotava and Mikhail Pishchala were sentenced to liberty restriction without being sent to a specialized institution for a period of 2 years.

It is worth noting that Dzianis Kotau and Sviatlana Kotava are a family. They are responsible for their minor children.