Former Policeman Who Supported Ukraine Stands Trial In Homel

The case is handled by judge Aleh Kharoshka.

The Homel Regional Court has begun hearing the case of former policeman Vilen Turgunov, former head of the Chyhunachny District Department of Internal Affairs in Homel, Radio Svaboda reports.

Turgunov is charged under three articles of the Criminal Code — Part 3 of Article 361 (“calls for restrictive measures (sanctions), other actions aimed at harming national security”), Part 1 of Article 130 (“incitement of racial, national, religious or other social hatred”), Part 2 of Article 367 (“slander against Lukashenka”).

The trial is being held behind closed doors, like most trials of former security officials whom the authorities suspected of disloyalty.

BelPol reported that Vilen Turgunov is 55 years old, his father is from Uzbekistan, and his mother is Belarusian. Vilen Turgunov came to Belarus from the Bryansk region of Russia, where he graduated from the university with a degree in law. He lived in Homel, was married, and is now divorced.

Vilen Turgunov worked in the Homel police, and after his dismissal, in a construction and installation trust.

It is known that before his arrest, Vilen Turgunov had pages on social networks, where he spoke out about political and social events. For his support of Ukraine, other network users called him a “Banderovite”.

The case of Vilen Turgunov is handled by judge Aleh Kharoshka, for whom this is not the first trial related to events in Ukraine. According to Viasna, in October 2022, he sentenced Homel region resident Uladzislau Vojn to 2 years in prison as he found him guilty of “assisting extremist activity” — this is Part 1 of Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code of Belarus.

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