Kseniya Lutskina

journalist, sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment

Former prisoner

Date of birth: 14 February 1984

Date of detention: 22 December 2020

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 357 of the Criminal Code — Conspiracy to seize power in an unconstitutional way

Sentence: 8 years

Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony

Date of release: 20 August 2024

Judge: Tatsiana Falkouskaya

Notes: Health issues, Pardon / amnesty

Groups: Journalists

Kseniya Lutskina is a journalist. Before August 2020, Lutskina worked at the Belteleradio state-owned national broadcaster. After the August 9 election, she joined a strike and then resigned as a correspondent for Belarus 2 TV channel and became a member of the Coordination Council.

The political prisoner has a brain tumor.

Lutskina later announced that together with other resigned journalists they planned to create "alternative television" on YouTube. The project was supported by, among others, the Academy of Press Club Belarus. The launch of the project was scheduled for January 2021.

On December 22, 2020, Kseniya Lutskina was arrested while shopping in central Minsk. Her apartment was searched. The journalist's computer, smartphone, flash drive and documents were confiscated.

On December 31, it became known that Kseniya Lutskina was charged under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code ('Evasion of taxes and fees in a particularly large amount'). Later, that case was closed, and Lutskina was charged under Article 357 of the Criminal Code ('Conspiracy or other actions committed to seize state power').

On July 7, 2022, the case of the police prisoner was sent to the Supreme Court. The Prosecutor General's Office claimed that Kseniya Lutskina was involved in the creation of "public Belarusian interactive television, the purpose of which is to conceal and distort real facts, to escalate the protest activity, to stimulate the split in the Belarusian society, and to foster people's negative opinion about the activities of state bodies".

On September 1, 2022, the Minsk City Court began the trial of Kseniya Lutskina's case.

On September 28, 2022, Judge Tatsiana Falkouskaya sentenced the journalist to 8 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. It is known that the political prisoner refused to apply for pardon to Lukashenka.

In early November 2022, she was transferred from remand prison #1 in Minsk to remand prison #3 in Homieĺ.

On December 27, the Supreme Court dismissed Lutskina's appeal and upheld the verdict.

Before the New Year, a meeting with her son was allowed to Kseniya Lutskina in the remand prison.

On January 13, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added the political prisoner to their 'List of Belarusian citizens, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities'.

In mid-January 2023, she was transferred to women's penal colony #4 in Homieĺ.

In February 2023, Lutskina fell ill with bilateral pneumonia. It is known that the political prisoner was released from work in the industrial zone due to her health condition.

In July 2023, it became known that her parents are collecting documents for a pardon to be transferred to the penal colony.

She was pardoned and released on August 20, 2024.

Members of Parliament from Great Britain and Switzerland take over godparenthood for Ryhor Hunko, Illia Trakhtenberg and Kseniya Lutskina

As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Baroness Angela Smith (House of Lords, Labour Party), Katharina Prelicz-Huber (National Council, The Greens) and Benjamin Roduit (National Council, The Centre) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus.

"I'm probably just going to die here": The situation of political prisoners from vulnerable groups

Journalist Ksenia Lutskina has a brain tumor: it is growing and causes severe pain, which doctors treat with painkillers. She needs a consultation with specialized professionals, which is not available in detention. In February Ksenia contracted bilateral pneumonia. For health reasons, the woman was released from work in the industrial zone of the prison, where she was sent to serve her eight-year sentence.

Harsh sentence handed down to journalist Kseniya Lutskina

On 28 September, the Minsk City Court passed a harsh sentence upon former journalist of the National State TV and Radio Company Kseniya Lutskina. Kseniya was accused of conspiracy or other actions aiming at takeover of power (part 1 of article 357 of the Criminal Code).

 

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