Aliaksandr Birulia
sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 1 July 1978
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: 6 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Alena Misnik
Prison: Penal colony No. 9
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Aliaksandr Birulia 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.
The defendants were also accused of:
- “calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus” (Art. 361 of the CC)
- “desecration of structures and damage to property” (Art. 341 of the CC)
- “incitement to social hatred” (Art. 130 of the CC)
- “slander against the president” (Art. 367 of the CC)
- “promoting extremist activities” (Art. 361-4 of the CC)
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 Minsk Regional Court found Birulia guilty and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
