Aliaksei Samusenka
economist, sentenced to 4 years
Date of birth: 13 January 1988
Date of detention: 5 November 2020
Charges indicted:
Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code — Participation in riots
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 341 of the Criminal Code — Desecration of structures and damage to property
Art. 352 of the Criminal Code — Illegal acquisition of computer information
Art. 350 of the Criminal Code - Destruction, blocking or modification of computer information
Art. 354 of the Criminal Code - Development, use, distribution or sale of malicious computer programs
Sentence: 4 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 9 February 2024
Judge: Zhanna Khvainitskaya
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Sir Edward Davey, member of the British House of Commons
Aliaksei Samusenka was detained on November 5 as part of a criminal case under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (actions that grossly violate public order). His house was searched. Aliaksei's brother Kim Samusenka was detained two days earlier.
Aliaksei was charged under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code.
Judge Zhanna Khvoinitskaya decided to consider the case behind closed doors due to the fact that “the materials of the criminal case contain information that is a state secret.”
On January 28, the Zavodski District Court of Minsk sentenced four political prisoners for “hacking the computer system of the Minsk City Executive Committee.” Political prisoners Kim and Aliaksei Samusenka were sentenced to 6.5 and 4 years in a general-security penal colony, respectively, Pavel Drozd and Ivan Andrushoits to 3.5 years in a penal colony each.
Four political prisoners accused of hacking the government computer system sentenced to 3,5 to 6,5 years
