Aliaksei Melnikau
sentenced to 5 years in prison
Prisoner
Date of birth: 20 May 1991
Date of detention: 4 December 2020
Charges indicted:
- Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code — Participation in riots
Sentence: 5 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Zhanna Khvainitskaya
Prosecutor: Krystsina Kachanava
Prison: Penal colony No. 17
Cases: Protests in Minsk
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Céline Widmer, Member of the Swiss National Council
Aliaksei Melnikau was detained on December 4, 2020, over his alleged involvement in "riots" in Minsk.
He was charged under Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (rioting).
The charges stem from a post-election protest of August 10, 2020.
On March 16, 2021, Judge Zhanna Khvainitskaya of the Zavodski District Court of Minsk sentenced Aliaksei Melnikau to five years in a medium-security penal colony.