Ivan Tsahalka
sentenced to 3 years in prison
Date of birth: 18 October 1993
Date of detention: 13 September 2020
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 364 of the Criminal Code — Violence or threat of violence against an employee of the internal affairs bodies
Sentence: 3 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 21 June 2023
Judge: Siarhei Shatsila
Prosecutor: Ramanenka
Ivan Tsahalka is a construction worker from Minsk.
He was charged under Article 364 (violence against a police officer) and Article 342 of the Criminal Code (active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order). The criminal case concerned the events of September 13, when the March of Heroes protest took place in Minsk and some of the protesters reached the Drazdy neighborhood, where they were detained. According to the indictment, Tsahalka kicked a police vehicle once and damaged the hood. He then hit two riot policemen, which did not cause any health problems. Ivan pleaded guilty only to accidentally hitting the car.
On April 15, 2021, Judge Siarhei Shatsila of the Saviecki District Court of Minsk sentenced Tsahalka to three years in a general-security penal colony.
