Artsiom Sakau
member of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskаya's nomination group
Prisoner
Date of birth: 25 August 1994
Date of detention: 31 May 2020
Charges indicted:
- Part 1 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code — Organization of riots
- Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
- Art. 191 of the Criminal Code — Obstruction of the exercise of electoral rights
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 16 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a high security prison
Prison sentence start date: 20 June 2022
Judge: Mikalai Dolia
Prosecutor: Dzianis Mikushau
Prison: Prison No. 4
Groups: Bloggers
Notes: Prison security level
Cases: The Tsikhanouski case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Gyde Jensen,, member of the German Bundestag
Artsiom Sakau is a member of the nomination group of presidential nominee Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Following his involvement in the election picket on May 29 in Hrodna, he was detained on May 31 and charged under Part 1 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order).
Sakau faced final charges under four articles of the Criminal Code:
- Part 1 of Art. 293 (organization of mass riots);
- Part 3 of Art. 130 (incitement to social hatred);
- Part 2 of Art. 191 (obstruction of the Central Election Commission activities);
- Part 1 of Art. 342 (organization of actions that grossly violate public order).
On December 14, 2021, Artsiom Sakau was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security prison.
On November 4, 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added the political prisoner to the "list of persons involved in extremist activities".
According to human rights activists, the defendants in the "Tikhanouski case" will have to pay 22 million rubles in compensation - as stated in the court decision, "to pay employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for additional time on duty during the post-election protests".
Artsiom Sakau was transferred to Mahilioŭ Prison No. 4.
