Dzmitry Navazhylau
ex-director of BelaPAN news agency, sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment
Prisoner
Date of birth: 12 August 1972
Date of detention: 18 August 2021
Charges indicted:
- 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
Sentence: 6 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 2 February 2023
Judge: Viachaslau Tuleika
Prison: Penal colony No. 3
Cases: BelaPAN case
Groups: Journalists
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Min Li Marti, member of the Swiss National Council
Dzmitry Navazhylau is former director of the BelaPAN news agency.
Navazhylau was arested on August 18, 2021, after security officers searched his home and BelaPAN's office in Minsk.
Navazhylau was detained for 72 hours under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or participation in them).
10 days after arrest, Navazhylau was transferred to pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Minsk.
In early September, Navazhylau was officially charged under Part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (tax evasion entailing large-scale damage).
In November, Navazhylau faced new charges of “creating an extremist formation”.
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 Navazhylau to six years of imprisonment and a fine of 22,400 rubles ($8,900).
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.
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