Harsh verdicts: Drakakhrust and Liubakova sentenced to 10 years in prison in «Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts» case
The Minsk Regional Court considered the cases of 20 individuals, designated as an extremist formation known as “Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts.” The criminal case involves independent media journalists Yury Drakakhrust and Hanna Liubakova.
![Ганна Любакова аналітыкі Ціханоўскай](https://khdbz39sm.shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ljubakova-jpg-webp.webp)
Hanna Liubakova, a defendant in the case of «Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts». Photo: Journalist’s social media page
The Belarus Prosecutor General’s Office, which represented state prosecution in the trial, reports that all individuals associated with the extremist formation were found guilty of the following offenses:
- conspiracy to seize state power through unconstitutional means;
- joining an extremist formation to commit an extremist crime;
- aiding and abetting public calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus;
- facilitating deliberate acts aimed at inciting social hatred and discord based on social affiliation by a group of persons.
One of the defendants, Aliaksandr Dabravolski, was additionally found guilty of leading an extremist formation and its subdivision.
What sentences were imposed?
The following sentences were imposed on the accused for the totality of the crimes committed:
Aliaksandr Dabravolski – 11 years and 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of $73,350;
Hanna Krasulina, Dzianis Kuchynski, Piotr Rudkouski, Aliaksandr Shlyk – 11 years in prison and fines ranging from $12,250 to $490,000;
Hanna Liubakova, Yury Drakakhrust, Ryhor Astapenia, Filip Bikanau, Andrei Kazakevich, Yauhen Kryzhanouski, Veranika Laputska, Aliaksandr Lahvinets, Vasil Navumau, Maria Rohava, Alesia Rudnik, Natallia Rabava, Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Katsiaryna Shmatsina – 10 years in prison;
Pavel Usau – 11 years in prison.
The trial began on 31 May 2024 in the Minsk Regional Court, and the verdict was announced on 1 July 2024. The ruling has not yet become final and is subject to appeal and challenge.
To date, the property of the defendants in the criminal case of «Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts» — including apartments, houses, and land plots — has been seized «to ensure compensation for the damage caused.»
The Prosecutor General’s Office has announced that all defendants in the criminal case have «absconded from justice.» Consequently, the investigation and their trial were held in their absence.
«We consider this case to be a politically motivated prosecution»
The defendants shared their collective appeal with the Zerkalo media outlet at the outset of the trial in absentia.
«The charges brought are typical of other politically motivated criminal cases in Belarus, including conspiracy to seize state power; actions aimed at inciting social hatred; aiding and abetting public calls to seize state power; and participation in an extremist formation. All the ‘accused’ in the ‘case’ are abroad, so it is being considered in their absence.
In light of the above, we feel it is important to highlight the following:
We consider this case to be a politically motivated prosecution. All individuals arbitrarily included in the case were solely engaged in professional activities that cannot be linked to the allegations outlined in the indictment. We view this case as a continuation of the persistent pressure from the Belarusian authorities on the independent analyst, expert, and journalistic communities. Furthermore, we would like to point out that it is illogical to accuse experts and journalists of attempting to seize power and extremism.
The trial is conducted in violation of the Belarusian legislation. Despite official requests, we have never been granted access to the case file. As a result, we are unable to confirm the exact nature of the charges. Furthermore, we were not informed of the date the trial was scheduled to commence in accordance with Belarusian law. In contravention of established norms, information about the trial was not published in the «Special Criminal Proceedings» section of the Supreme Court’s website.
We are not guaranteed the right to attorney in the criminal trial. Those of us who have not filed the respective motions are unaware of the names of our formally appointed attorneys.
We do not anticipate a fair trial. It is our understanding that we will be «sentenced» to the terms specified in the charges, just like thousands of Belarusians convicted in similar politically motivated cases.
We are grateful for all the support and solidarity. We would like to express our gratitude to the civil and journalistic communities, as well as our colleagues in Belarus and abroad, for their support.”
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