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
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Sandra Bubendorfer-Licht is a Member of the German Bundestag for the Freie Demokratische Partei
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.
