Barys Vitko
Prisoner
Date of birth: 9 July 1954
Date of detention: 25 May 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 361 of the Criminal Code — Calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
- Art. 391 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a judge
- art. 188 of the Criminal Code — Defamation
- Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
Sentence: 7 years and 3 months
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Tatsiana Zharko, Vera Filonik
Prison: Pre-trial detention center No. 7
Notes: Health issues, Retirement age
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
On January 20, 2022, Lyakhavichy District Court found Barys Vitko guilty of committing a crime under Article 391 - "Insulting a judge or a people's assessor". He was sentenced to two years of home confinement.
At the end of May 2023, Barys was detained again on charges of insulting Lukashenka (Article 368 of the Criminal Code).
Judge Vera Filonik began considering the new case on January 4.
At the first trial, Barys was accused of writing an offensive comment about judge Mikalai Kmita on the Liakhavičy 97 Telegram channel.
Barys has heart problems and has to take medication constantly.
On November 28, 2023, he was put on the terrorist list by the KGB.
