Malanka Media head’s case submitted to court
The Prosecutor General’s Office has sent the criminal case of Pavel Marynich, the head of Malanka Media, for trial. Pavel Liber, the creator of the digital platform ‘New Belarus,’ politician Aliaksandr Dabravolski, and Alena Zhyvahlod, the head of the initiative ‘Honest People,’ are also being investigated as part of this case.
The defendants are accused of obstructing the work of the Central Election Commission and the Referendum Commission.
They allegedly conspired to disrupt the national referendum in January-February 2022, using threats and other illegal methods. Zhyvahlod, Liber, Marynich, and Dabravolski were among those involved in the plan that included sending letters to the residences and workplaces of election commission members.
According to the prosecution, the letters “contained threats aimed at intimidating, creating doubts as to the legality of their actions, and instilling feelings of guilt for their work as commission members. The letters also suggested that the current government is unable to ensure their safety. They demanded to provide the extremist group ‘Honest People’ with information and made ungrounded claims about the falsification of the referendum turnout and voting results.
Understanding their insolvency, lack of support and authority in Belarusian society, the defendants sent letters on behalf of various state bodies, officials, and other individuals who were not involved in the illegal activities.”
The indictment states that the members of the commissions received at least 11,000 letters.
In December 2023, the Investigative Committee initiated ‘special proceedings’ against Marynich, Zhyvahlod, Dabravolski, and Liber. They will be tried in absentia.
Pavel Marynich, the son of the persecuted former statesman Mikhail Marynich and the head of Malanka Media, left Belarus after the 2010 election protest. Malanka Media, was established in 2020. Pavel Marynich stated in an interview with Nasha Niva that their project started as Zubr.in, a platform for election observation that published open data. Marynich believes that their most significant recent accomplishment is the fact that Lukashenka is no longer recognized as the president worldwide. He is a dictator who holds power in the country.
On February 15, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs recognized Malanka Media as an ‘extremist formation.’ According to pro-government Telegram channels, this decision was made due to public calls for sanctions and the attacks on the sovereignty and public security of the Republic of Belarus.
Read more:
Journalists in the War Zone: BAJ and LUJ will open an exhibition in Vilnius
Fact-checking Rimas Bružas’ column on LRT: 2% real vs 50% claimed
E‑NEWSLETTER: MASS MEDIA IN BELARUS IN 2023