Anastasiya Kukhta
social activist, sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 20 January 1992
Date of detention: 17 February 2022
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 361 of the Criminal Code — Calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus
Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code — Creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it
Sentence: 5 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 3 March 2023
Judge: Valiantsina Ziankevich
Prison: Penal colony No. 4
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Oliver Kaczmarek, Member of the German Bundestag
Anastasiya Kukhta is a social activist from Minsk. She was arrested on February 17, 2022, at her place of residence. Her house was searched.
At first, she was sentenced to administrative arrest, but after the end of her sentence, Anastasiya Kukhta was not released. She was re-arrested as a defendant in a criminal case on 'group actions grossly violating public order' (Article 342 of the Criminal Code). Then she was also charged under Part 3 of Article 361 ('Calls for restrictive measures (sanctions) and other actions aiming to harm the national security of Belarus') and Part 1 of Article 361-1 ('Creating or participating in an extremist formation') of the Criminal Code.
From March 12, 2022, she was held in remand prison #1 in Minsk.
On October 10, 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court commenced the hearings in Kukhta's case. On November 11, she was found guilty and sentenced to five years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
In December 2022, the KGB included the political prisoner in the 'List of persons involved in terrorist activities".
On February 14, 2023, Anastasiya Kukhta's appeal against the verdict was considered and dismissed and the sentence was upheld.
In early March 2023, the political prisoner was transferred to women's penal colony #4 in Homieĺ.
On March 10, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs included her in the 'List of citizens of Belarus, foreign citizens, and stateless persons involved in extremist activities'.
The political prisoner's mother died, but Anastasiya Kukhta was not allowed to attend her funeral.
