Aliaksandr Ivulin
football player, journalist, blogger, sentenced to 2 years, released after serving full sentence
Date of birth: 10 August 1992
Date of detention: 3 July 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Sentence: 2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 17 February 2023
Judge: Siarhei Shatsila
Prosecutor: Anastasiya Maliko
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Liam McArthur, a member of the Scottish Parliament
Aliaksandr Ivulin is a football player at the Krumkachy football club, a journalist at the Tribuna.com online media, and the author of the Chestnok Youtube channel.
On June 3, 2020, he was detained at home together with the cameraman Yaraslau Pisarenka. The next day, Aliaksandr Ivulin was sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest under Article 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offences—allegedly for a white-red-white flag on the window of his flat. After that, he was not released. Instead, he was transferred to a pre-trial detention facility on suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Article 342 of the Criminal Code ('Group acts grossly disrupting public order').
On January 19, 2022, in Saviecki District Court of Minsk, Judge Siarhei Shatsila sentenced Aliaksandr Ivulin to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
On 29 March 2022, the City Court of Minsk considered the appeal of Aliaksandr Ivulin. Judge Sviatlana Charapanava upheld the verdict.
In mid-April 2022, Aliaksandr Ivulin was transferred to penal colony #22 (Brest region).
On November 4, 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs included the political prisoner in the 'List of persons involved in extremist activities'.
Aliaksandr Ivulin served his full term and was released in February 2023.
