Kiryl Ashurak
case of the “Civil Self-Defense Units of Belarus”
Date of birth: 29 June 1999
Date of detention: 23 June 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 289 of the Criminal Code — An act of terrorism
Art. 290-4 of the Criminal Code — Establishing or participating in an organization for the purpose of terrorist activity
Sentence: 13 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Siarhei Yepikhau
Prison: Penal colony No. 15
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Kiryl Ashurak was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and fined 12,800 Belarusian rubles (approx. $5,100).
He was convicted under part 2 of Article 290-4 (“participation in terrorist organization activity”) and part 6 of Article 16 and part 2 of Article 289 (“facilitating an act of terrorism”) of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
On October 19, 2022, the Minsk Regional Court began the trial of the case of the "Civil Self-Defense Unit of Belarus", recognized as a terrorist organization in Belarus. Five people were involved in the case: Dzmitryi Sasnouski, Aliaksei Hlotau, Natallia Matsveyeva, Vadzim Hulevich, and Kiryl Ashurak. They were tried under ten articles of the Criminal Code, including terrorism, and charged with three episodes—an attempt to blow up the Russian Navy communications hub in Viliejka (Minsk region), an attempt on the TV propagandist Ryhor Azaronak, and an attempt to destroy logging equipment in forestries.
On December 5, 2022, the verdicts were announced.
On March 10, 2023, Kiryl Ashurak was included in the 'List of Belarusian citizens, foreign citizens, and stateless persons involved in extremist activities".
He is to serve his sentence in penal colony №15 in Mahilioŭ.
