Matsvei Hrankevich
student
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 1 October 2000
Date of detention: 10 November 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. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 2 years and 2 months
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Date of release: 15 August 2023
Judge: Natallia Buhuk
Cases: Protests in Minsk
Groups: Students
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Katarina Barley, Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament
Matsvei Hrankevich is a fourth-year student of the history department of the Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University. He was detained on 10 November 2021 right in the dean's office. It is known that he was identified by a photo from the protest.
He was charged with actions grossly violating public order (Article 342 of the Criminal Code) and incitement of social enmity (part 1 of Article 130) based on comments in social media. Judge Natallia Buhuk sentenced him to two years and two months of imprisonment.
On 15 September 2022, the KGB put him on the "list of those involved in terrorist activities. He is one of the youngest "terrorists" in Belarus.
In August 2023, Matsvei was released from prison.
