Aleh Haurylau
sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 16 February 1981
Date of detention: 13 December 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 361 of the Criminal Code — Calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus
Art. 341 of the Criminal Code — Desecration of structures and damage to property
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code — Promoting extremist activities
Sentence: 10 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 2 May 2023
Judge: Alena Misnik
Prison: Penal colony No. 11
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Aleh Haurylau, a coach from Salihorsk, was arrested for distributing protest newspapers. He was charged with defamation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka under Article 367 of the Criminal Code (Defamation of the President).
He was placed in pre-trial detention center.
Haurylau had several copies of the self-published Chestnaya Gazeta (Honest Newspaper) with him when he was arrested. Expert examination of the newspaper's content resulted in new charges of inciting hatred as part of a group (Part 3 Article 130) and desecration of facilities and damage to property (Article 341). The defendants were also charged under part 1 of Article 361 of calling for restrictive measures (sanctions) and other actions to harm national security and under part 1 of Article 361-4 of promoting extremist activity.
On September 15, 2022, the KGB put the political prisoner on the list of persons involved in terrorist activities.
On December 12, 2022, Judge Alena Misnik of the Minsk Regional Court found Haurylau guilty and sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony.
