Andrei Pazniak
programmer, sentenced to 3 years of restricted freedom, released, left Belarus
Date of birth: 16 November
Date of detention: 11 August 2020
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Sentence: 3 years
Penalty: restricted freedom in an open penal facility ("khimiya")
Judge: Alena Zhyvitsa
Andrei Pazniak is a volunteer of Viktar Babaryka's campaign headquarters.
Andrei Pazniak was detained on August 11 and taken to the Minsk office of GUBAZIK (the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption). Two days later, on August 13, several government-owned TV channels aired a video accusing Pazniak of coordinating protests.
Andrei’s lawyer Pavel Pivavarchyk insists that the video was recorded after his client was beaten by police officers.
He was held in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Minsk.
On February 5, Judge Alena Zhyvitsa of the Kastryčnicki District Court of Minsk sentenced Andrei Pazniak to three years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary (so-called “khimiya”). Pazniak was found guilty of “preparing actions that grossly violated public order” (Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code). The convict was released in the courtroom to await an appeal hearing.
Pazniak left Belarus fearing imminent imprisonment.
