Yuliya Laptanovich
sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment
Prisoner
Date of birth: 15 February 1988
Date of detention: 13 October 2021
Charges indicted:
- Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- Art. 366 of the Criminal Code — Violence or threat against an official performing official duties or another person performing a public duty
- art. 188 of the Criminal Code — Defamation
- Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data
- Art. 389 of the Criminal Code — Threat to a judge or lay judge
- Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code — Promoting extremist activities
Sentence: 4 years and 9 month
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Vera Filonik, Viktar Sianko
Prosecutor: Henadz Bury, Vadzim Bahatka
Prison: Penal colony No. 4
Notes: Parents of three or more children
Cases: The round dance case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Barbara Gysi is a member of the Swiss National Council for the Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz and President
Yuliya Laptanovich is a mother of three children in Pružany. She was sentenced in the "dancing protest case" to three years of restricted freedom ("home confinement").
On October 13, 2021, her home was searched and the woman was re-arrested on new charges under Art. 361-2 (financing of extremist activities) and Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code (illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data).
Yuliya was placed in a pre-trial detention center. Her husband Ihar Laptanovich is also a political prisoner - he was sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony.
A few months after the sentencing, on October 13, 2021, Yuliya's home was searched, and she was detained as part of a new criminal case.
The woman allegedly provided personal data and information about the activities of officials to her friend, who had connections with the ‘extremist’ Telegram channels. All these details were published, and the victims, according to the investigation, received threats and insults in connection with the performance of their official duties.
On July 18, Yuliya Laptanovich was found guilty under six articles of the Criminal Code:
- Article 188 (defamation);
- Part 1 of Article 13 of Article 369 (creating conditions for insulting a government official);
- Part 1 of Article 1 of Article 389 (creating conditions for threatening a judge);
- Part 6 of Article 16 and Part 1 of Article 366 (aiding and abetting the threat of violence against an official);
- Part 3 of Article 203-1 (illegal actions regarding personal data);
- Part 1, Article 361-4 (promoting extremist activities).
Judge Viktar Sianko sentenced her to five years in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 2,650 Belarusian rubles (1,050 US dollars). The court also ruled to pay 5,000 rubles (2,000 US dollars) in moral compensation in favor of one of the victims.
Yuliya Laptanovich, mother of three, gets five years in jail
