Former National TV journalist sentenced to 4 years in prison
Dzmitry Luksha, a former Belarusian TV journalist and freelance correspondent for Kazakhstan’s Khabar 24 TV channel, was sentenced by Minsk City Court to 4 years in prison. His wife Palina Palavinka will spend 2.5 years behind bars.
Dzmitry Luksha, his wife Palina Palavinka, Dzianis Yarouski, and cameraman Kanstantsin Nikanorau were accused of “discrediting Belarus” and “active participation in group actions, grossly violating public order.”
According to the indictment, from November 2021 to March 2022 Luksha “regularly delivered materials about events taking place in the Republic of Belarus to a foreign TV channel for remuneration.” Particularly, together with his wife, he prepared a report on the violation of migrants’ rights based on interviews with Syrian refugees in a forest and commented on the deteriorating economic situation in Belarus.
Judge Natallia Buhuk sentenced Dzmitry Luksha to four years in prison and a fine of $6,350, Palina Palavinka – to two years and six months in prison and a fine of $1,270, Dzianis Yarouski – to one year and six months in prison and a fine of $1,270, Kanstantsin Nikanorau – to three years of home confinement and a fine of $1,270.