Kanstantsin Svidunovich
TV presenter, served full term, released
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 18 March 1995
Date of detention: 24 March 2021
Charges indicted:
- Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Sentence: 1 1/2 years
Penalty: restricted freedom in an open penal facility ("khimiya")
Prison sentence start date: 11 December 2021
Date of release: 25 July 2022
Judge: Dzmitryi Kurouski
Prosecutor: Aliaksandr Batsiushka, Mikhail Yushchuk
Groups: Cultural workers
Cases: The round dance case
Kanstantsin Svidunovich is a resident of Brest, host of the TV show "Morning Espresso" on Belarus-4 (TV and radio company "Brest").
Svidunovich was detained on March 24, 2021, as part of the so-called "dancing protest case" opened after a demonstration on September 13, 2020, in Brest. That day, several hundred people gathered in central Brest to sing songs and dance. The protest was dispesred by a water cannon. Dozens were detained.
Svidunovich was charged under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (active participation in group actions grossly violating public order). He was held in pre-trial detention center No. 7 in Brest.
On August 30, 2021, the Lieninski District Court of Brest sentenced Svidunovich to 18 months of “khimiya” imprisonment, after spending five months in pre-trial detention.
The political prisoner served his sentence in full and was released on July 25, 2022.
