Tatsiana Pytsko fined for distributing «extremist materials”
On April 9, the Vitsebsk District Court imposed a fine of $305 on Tatsiana Pytsko, who had previously been convicted over cooperation with an «extremist formation». The Vitsebsk police scanned her social media pages and found posts containing the logos of two Internet resources included in the Republican List of Extremist Materials.
Tatsiana Pytko is now the ex-wife of videographer Viachaslau Lazarau. On September 25 last year, when they were still married, they were both convicted of cooperating with foreign media, which are recognized as extremist formations in Belarus.
The trial of Pytsko and Lazarau was held in closed session at the Vitsebsk Regional Court. Judge Yauhen Budunou found the woman guilty of promoting extremist activities and sentenced her to three years in prison. The Supreme Court decided to commute her sentence to three years suspended sentence until her daughter reaches the age of three.
Tatsiana Pytsko was therefore released on November 24, 2023. Her youngest daughter will turn three in May 2025, but the current administrative charges may affect Tatsiana Pytsko’s future fate. She is under police supervision, and violations of the law may become a reason to change her suspended sentence to a real one.
On June 21, 2023, two weeks after Tatiana Pytsko was detained following a search of her apartment, the Belarusian human rights community recognized her as a prisoner of conscience. On December 8, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs included her in the List of Persons Involved in Extremist Activities.
Viachaslau Lazarau, a freelance videographer, was also recognized as a prisoner of conscience and is currently serving a five-year sentence in Mahiliou Correctional Facility #15. According to the latest information, he recently suffered from pneumonia and on 11 April he was transferred to the Secure Housing Unit for an unspecified period of time.