Aliaksandr Kazlianka

activist, sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment

Prisoner

Date of birth: 15 October 1983

Date of detention: 2 March 2021

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
  • Part 2 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code — Participation in a criminal organization in any other form

Sentence: 6 years

Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony

Prison sentence start date: 11 March 2023

Judge: Siarhei Khrypach

Prosecutor: Raman Biziuk

Prison: Penal colony No. 1

Cases: "Revolutionary Action"

Groups: Activists

Godparent: Laila Naraghi, member of the Swedish Parliament

Aliaksandr Kazlianka is an activist and member of the Free Trade Union based in Brest. He has previously been repeatedly detained for participating in protests, including while campaigning against the local battery plant and against the 2017 "social parasites” decree.

On March 2, 2021, Aliaksandr's apartment was searched and he was detained.

Kazlianka was charged under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order) and Part 2 of Art. 285 (creation of a criminal organization or participation in it). It is known that the charge under Art. 342 stems from a road blocking that took place in Brest in 2018. On May 5 of that year, anarchists blocked three lanes of the M1 highway, protesting against the construction of the battery plant. Meanwhile, Kazlianka's friends say that he did not take part in the protest.

On April 25, 2022, the trial commenced in Minsk Municipal Court. Prosecutor Andrei Buhuk requested a hearing in a closed session, because “there are materials of extremist nature in the materials of the criminal case”. The judge granted his petition and decided to close the hearing. All attendees were ordered out of the courtroom.

Four and a half months later, on September 6, 2022, Kazlianka was sentenced—he received six years in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 16,000 Belarusian rubles (more than $6,300).

The trial of Marfa Rabkova, Andrei Chapiuk and eight other political prisoners to be held behind closed doors

The trial of ten political prisoners began today in Minsk City Court: coordinator of the "Viasna" Volunteer Service Marfa Rabkova, volunteer Andrei Chapiuk, political prisoners activists of the anarchist movement Akikhiro Hayeuski-Hanada, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Aliaksei Halauko, Aliaksandr Kazlianka, Pavel Shpetny, Mikita Dranets, Andrei Marach, and Danila Chul. Ten articles of the Criminal Code are featured in this case, while the investigation files constitute 160 volumes. Judge Siarhei Khrypach was appointed to hear this high-profile case.

 

Viasna member Marfa Rabkova gets 15 years in jail, volunteer Andrei Chapiuk—6

The Minsk Municipal Court announced the sentence of ten political prisoners at once: coordinator of Viasna’s volunteer network Marfa Rabkova, volunteer Andrei Chapiuk, activists of the anarchist movement Akikhiro Hayeuski-Hanada, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Aliaksei Halauko, Aliaksandr Kazlianka, Pavel Shpetny, Mikita Dranets, Andrei Marach, and Danila Chul.

 

Mail address: Penal colony No. 1. 211440, Navapolack, vulica Techničnaya 8

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