{"id":8237,"date":"2021-08-10T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T08:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=8237"},"modified":"2021-08-10T13:02:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T13:02:01","slug":"patrabuem-neadkladnaga-vyzvalennya-syami-novyh-palitychnyh-znyavolenyh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2021\/08\/10\/patrabuem-neadkladnaga-vyzvalennya-syami-novyh-palitychnyh-znyavolenyh.html","title":{"rendered":"Human rights organizations call to release 7 persons convicted in defamation trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

In response to the new cases of conviction and imprisonment of individuals under a number of defamatory articles of the Criminal Code, as well as on charges of insulting the state symbols, we, representatives of the Belarusian human rights community, once again reaffirming our repeated calls to decriminalize defamation and refrain from imprisoning individuals for insulting officials, the state, state bodies and symbols (joint statement dated December 22, 2020<\/a>), we note the following:<\/p>\n

We have received information about the following persons imprisoned for insulting the president, government officials (police officers), judges and desecration of state symbols, as well as the use of other permissible forms of expression:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ivan Kiva<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Lieninski District Court of Mahilio\u016d to two years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary (\u201ckhimiya\u201d) under Art. 369 of the Criminal Code for insulting police officers on the Vkontakte social media; sent to serve the sentence;<\/p>\n

Artur Rybin<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Homie\u013a Regional Court to three and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Part 1 of Art. 339 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism) and under Art. 130 of the Criminal Code (incitement to hatred) for making an installation with a portrait of Lukashenka, and for an insulting comment on the Telegram messaging application;<\/p>\n

Aliaksei Bayarovich<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Smarho\u0144 District Court to one year and six months of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary (\u201ckhimiya\u201d) under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code for insulting the president on the Vkontakte social media; sent to serve the sentence;<\/p>\n

Aliaksandr Shcharbatsiuk<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Saviecki District Court of Minsk to one year of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code for insulting the president;<\/p>\n

Andrei Asaula<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Zavodski District Court of Minsk to three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony under Part 2 of Art. 368 (\u201cinsult to the president\u201d), Art. 364 (\u201cviolence or threat of violence against a police officer\u201d) and Art. 369 (\u201cinsult to a representative of the authorities\u201d);<\/p>\n

Tatsiana Zviarko<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Lida District Court to one year and six months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony region under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code (“insult to the president”) and Art. 369 of the Criminal Code (\u201cinsult to a representative of the authorities\u201d); the convict was taken into custody in the courtroom;<\/p>\n

Dzianis Ivanou<\/strong> \u2013 sentenced by the Centra\u013any District Court of Minsk to two years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary (\u201ckhimiya\u201d) under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code for insulting the president; sent to serve the sentence.<\/p>\n

In this regard, we consider their persecution and imprisonment to be\u00a0politically motivated<\/strong>, as they are related to the peaceful exercise of expression. The convicts are therefore\u00a0political prisoners<\/strong>\u00a0in accordance with paragraph 3.1 (a) of the\u00a0Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We call on the Belarusian authorities to:<\/strong><\/p>\n