Yauhen Buzhynski
diagnostic ultrasound doctor, sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 6 January 1966
Date of detention: 9 June 2022
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. 366 of the Criminal Code — Violence or threat against an official performing official duties or another person performing a public duty
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
Sentence: 6 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 16 May 2023
Judge: Ihar Sobaleu
Prison: Penal colony No. 1
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Yauhen Buzhynski is a diagnostic ultrasound doctor from Smarhon, Hrodna region. He was detained in June 2022, under a criminal charge of insulting Lukashenka and government officials (Art. 368 and Art. 369 of the Criminal Code).
On December 23, 2022, the KGB put the political prisoner on the 'List of persons involved in terrorist activities'.
The trial began on January 30, 2023 in the Hrodna Regional Court. Buzhynski was charged under six articles of the Criminal Code:
- Art. 369 ('Contempt of a government oficial')
- part 2 of Art. 368 ('Contempt of the president of Belarus')
- Part 1 of Art. 130 ('Inciting racial, national, religious or other social hatred or enmity')
- Part 3 of Art. 361 ('Calls for restrictive measures (sanctions), other actions aimed at harming national security of Belarus')
- Part 2 of Art. 366 ('Violence or threat of violance against an official performing official duties, or another person performing a public duty')
- Part 2 of Art. 367 ('Slander against the president of Belarus')
It is known that Buzhynski was tried for a number of comments posted on the Internet. The trial was held behind closed doors.
As the Prosecutor General's Office later reported, "from October 2020 to June 2022, Buzhynski posted over 100 messages on YouTube aimed at inciting national and social hatred and enmity. In his comments to the messages he called for actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus, and to restrictive measures. Besides, he posted slanderous and insulting messages about the president of Belarus and government officials".
On February 13, 2023, Judge Ihar Sobaleu found Yauhen Buzhynski guilty and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and 50 basic fines (approx. $ 650).
