Andrei Aliaksandrau
journalist and media manager, sentenced to 14 years
Date of birth: 27 January 1978
Date of detention: 12 January 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 243 of the Criminal Code — Evasion of taxes and fees
Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code — Creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it
Art. 356 of the Criminal Code — High treason
Sentence: 14 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Viachaslau Tuleyka
Prison: Penal colony No. 1
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Christine Jardine, member of the British House of Commons
Andrei Aliaksandrau is a journalist and media manager. He was detained by officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on January 12, 2021. Together with him, his partner Iryna Zlobina was arrested.
On January 15, in an official statement, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Henadz Kazakevich said that Aliaksandrau and Zlobina had been detained “on suspicion of financing protest activities”. According to the official, since August 2020, Aliaksandrau and Zlobina had been "financing persons who took part in the protests in Minsk, including by paying fines and reimbursing the costs of imprisonment in the detention facilities of Minsk.”
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Aliaksandrau paid 250 fines between August 22 and November 9, 2020. The lists of beneficiaries and the funds to pay the fines were transferred to Aliaksandrau by the BY_help foundation.
On January 22, his lawyer said that Aliaksandrau was officially charged and would remain in detention.
On June 30, Aliaksandrau faced new charges under Part 1 of Art. 356 of the Criminal Code (high treason).
On October 6, 2022, the Minsk Regional Court pronounced the verdicts on the high-profile BelaPAN case—four political prisoners were sentenced to harsh jail sentences and large fines. Judge Viachaslau Tuleika sentenced Aliaksandrau to 14 years of imprisonment and a fine of 32,000 rubles ($12,600).
On January 6, 2023, the Supreme Court considered the appeal of the defendants in the BelaPAN case. The verdicts were upheld, and only some wording was slightly changed.
Media workers in BelaPAN case sentenced to up to 14 years in jail
