Illia Tananka

Former prisoner

Date of birth: 6 April 2001

Date of detention: 13 March 2021

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 369 of the Criminal Code β€” Insulting a government official

Sentence: 1 1/2 years

Penalty: restricted freedom in an open penal facility ("khimiya")

Prison sentence start date: 13 March 2021

Date of release: 8 September 2022

Judge: Andrei Mlechka

Prosecutor: Alina Kasiyanchyk

Groups: Students

Illia Tananka is a student of Minsk State Linguistic University sentenced to one and a half years of "khimiya" for insulting police colonel, Minsk riot police chief Dzmitry Balaba.

The guy was accused of writing "Balaba is Muderer" on the wall of an apartment building in Minsk, where the victim lives, thus allegedly publicly insulting the government official in connection with his official duties. Tananka faced criminal charges under Art. 369 of the Criminal Code (insulting a representative of the authorities). On November 26, 2020, Judge Andrei Mlechka of the Frunzienski District Court of Minsk sentenced him to one and a half years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary. The court also ordered the student to pay 1,000 rubles in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.

On March 13, 2021, Illia Tananka was sent to serve his sentence at open correctional facility No. 9 in Viciebsk.

Addresses of prisons:

What should I know and how to help?

βœ‰οΈ Write a letter. Make a scan of your letter or postcard and share it online

🀝 Please use the Russian (or Belarusian) name of the prison

πŸ’‘ Foreign-language messages may be blocked, so attach a translation (e.g. translate.google.com)

πŸ’‘ A big guide about helping Belarusian political prisoners from abroad

πŸ’‘ More tips here

Support β€œViasna”