August 17, 2023
Łarysa Ščyrakovawas was arrested on December 6, 2022, in Homel. Svyatoslav’s 16-year-old son was placed in a socio-pedagogical center in the Gomel district. The ex-husband of Łarysa Ščyrakovatook her son Svyatoslav from the shelter.
On December 16, 2022, Łarysa Ščyrakova was recognized as a political prisoner.
On June 7, 2023, Łarysa Ščyrakova’s mother died, but she was not allowed to attend her funeral.
Łarysa Ščyrakova’s trial began in Homel in a closed session. She was accused of violating Art. 369.1 (discrediting the Republic of Belarus) and Art. 361.4 of the Criminal Code (facilitating an extremist activity). According to the version of the investigators, Łarysa Ščyrakova, “took advantage of the tense public situation and tried to destabilize the situation in the country, uploaded, enabling the publication, and published herself on the Internet, also on destructive resources, materials with false information that discredited the Republic of Belarus” and “carried out collection, creation, processing, storage and transfer of information for Viasna HRC and Belsat TV Channel.
On 31 August, the Homiel Regional Court sentenced Larysa Ščyrakova to three and a half years in a penal colony and a fine of 3,500 BYN ($1,386) under Art. 369.1 of the Criminal Code (discrediting the Republic of Belarus) and Art. 361.4 of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activities).
On 11 August, information appeared that Larysa Ščyrakova did not file an appeal to the Supreme Court against the ruling of the Homiel Regional Court. Larysa Ščyrakova was transferred from the pre-trial detention centre to the women’s penal colony in Homiel (Antoškina Street 4).
On 22 September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added the political prisoner, populariser of Belarusian culture and journalist Larysa Ščyrakovato the “List of Belarusian citizens, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities.”
Mail address: Łarysa Ščyrakova, PC No. 4, 246035, Homel, vulica Antoškina 3.