Maksim Matyrka

sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment

Prisoner

Date of birth: 9 June 1977

Date of detention: 1 April 2022

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
  • Art. 218 of the Criminal Code — Intentional destruction or damage to property committed in a generally dangerous manner or causing damage on a large scale
  • Art. 411 — Malicious disobedience to the demands of administration of the correctional institution

Sentence: 9 years

Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony

Judge: Alena Zhyvitsa, Tatsiana Shotsik

Prison: Penal colony No. 9

Notes: Foreign citizens

Cases: Protests in Minsk

Maksim Matyrka is a citizen of Russia, who has been living in Belarus for 16 years. He was charged with Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (active participation in actions that grossly violate public order) for his participation in protests in 2020, and later with Part 3 of Article 218 of the Criminal Code (intentional destruction or damage to property) for setting fire to a car.

On April 6, 2022, the Kastryčnicki District Court of Minsk sentenced Maksim to eight years in a medium-security penal colony under Article 218 of the Criminal Code. The case was considered by Judge Alena Zhyvitsa.

On June 22, 2022, a Lieninski District Court of Minsk Judge Tatsiana Shotsik sentenced the political prisoner to three years of restricted freedom in an open-type penitentiary under Article 342 of the Criminal Code, and taking into account the previous sentence Maksim Matyrka was sentenced to nine years in a medium-security regime colony.

 

Mail address: Penal colony No. 9. 213410, Horki, vulica Dabraliubava 16

Addresses of prisons:

What should I know and how to help?

✉️ Write a letter. Make a scan of your letter or postcard and share it online

🤝 Please use the Russian (or Belarusian) name of the prison

💡 Foreign-language messages may be blocked, so attach a translation (e.g. translate.google.com)

💡 A big guide about helping Belarusian political prisoners from abroad

💡 More tips here

Support “Viasna”