Barysau photographer Aliaksandr Ziankou sentenced to 3 years in prison
Judge Zhanna Brysina of the Minsk City Court found Aliaksandr Ziankou guilty of participating in an extremist formation. The trial began on January 12, and three court hearings were held. On January 30, he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
Ziankou, a photographer, was detained on 22 June 2023, at his home in Barysau. The law enforcers searched the house and seized computer equipment. Ziankou was then taken to Minsk and held for 10 days in a temporary detention facility.
According to a former cellmate of Aliaksandr Ziankou, there were between 8 and 10 people in a double cell. He does not remember any visible signs of physical abuse, such as bruises or scratches. Aliaksandr remained calm and refused to confess. The police tried to force him to give them his smartphone password, but Aliaksandr refused. He also refused the services of a public attorney.
On the fifth or sixth day, he was taken for questioning by an investigator and returned five hours later. Upon his return, he revealed that he had been charged with promoting extremist activities. The charge was related to his videos published on the website of the Belsat TV channel, which had been declared “extremist formation” by the Belarusian authorities. The evidence was allegedly found in equipment seized during the search. He refused to give any information to the investigators.
Ten days later, on July 2, Aliaksandr Ziankou was transferred to the Minsk pre-trial detention center. On January 23 of this year, the Belarusian human rights community recognized him as a political prisoner.
Ziankou has been working as a freelance photographer since 1998. He worked independently as a private entrepreneur and collaborated with local independent publications. He also created award-winning documentaries for Christian film festivals and Magnifikat TV shows after becoming interested in videography. In 2015, the festival jury recognized his creative work on the reconstruction of the church in the village of Zembin.
Before the arrest, he had been traveling extensively and engaging in creative work, capturing landscapes, natural phenomena, birds, and architectural monuments. In December 2022, he held a personal photo exhibition.
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Extremism and media
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