Anastasiya Lazarenka

lawyer, in custody pending trial

Political prisoner

Date of birth: 31 May 1982

Date of detention: 2 June 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. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
  • Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data

Sentence: 6 years

Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony

Prison sentence start date: 8 November 2023

Judge: Sviatlana Charapanava

Prosecutor: Aliaksandra Ramanenka

Prison: Penal colony No. 4

Groups: Lawyers and attorneys

Godparent: Sandra Bubendorfer-Licht is a Member of the German Bundestag for the Freie Demokratische Partei

On the list of “terrorists” (Money transfers are prohibited)

Anastasiya Lazarenka is a lawyer. She was detained in early June 2022 for leaking personal data to a Telegram channel. Lazarenka was charged with ‘incitement of hatred’ under Article 130 of the Criminal Code.

She was placed in remand prison #1 in Minsk.

In March 2023, it became known that Lazarenka was also charged under Art. 203-1 ('Illegal actions regarding privacy information') and Part 1 of Art. 342 ('Organization and preparation of actions grossly disrupting public order') of the Criminal Code. According to the investigators, she allegedly organized an "unauthorized mass event" in August 2020 when she was providing legal advice pro bono to the relatives of the detainees near the notorious detention facility on Akrescina Street in Minsk.

Anastasiya Lazarenka is 40 years old. She has an elderly father and a 19-year-old son who has Crohn's disease.

On May 11, 2023, Judge Sviatlana Charapanava of the Minsk City Court sentenced Lazarenka to six years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. Anastasiya Lazarenka pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.

On October 19, 2023, the Supreme Court scheduled a closed session to consider Anastasiya's appeal. Aliaksei Rybakou served as the chairman of the judicial panel.

      On November 10, 2023, the Interior Ministry included Anastasiya in "the list of extremists".

      On November 28, 2023, the KGB included Anastasiya in "the list of terrorists".

In November Anastasiya was transferred from pre-trial detention center No. 1 to penal colony No. 4.

Place of detention: Penal colony No. 4. 246035, Homieĺ, vulica Antoshkina 3

Addresses of prisons:

What should I know and how to help?

✉️ Write a letter. Make a scan of your letter or postcard and share it online

🤝 Please use the Russian (or Belarusian) name of the prison

💡 Foreign-language messages may be blocked, so attach a translation (e.g. translate.google.com)

💡 A big guide about helping Belarusian political prisoners from abroad

💡 More tips here

Support “Viasna”