Mikhail Kukharchuk
sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 9 December 1982
Date of detention: 24 January 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
Sentence: 1 year
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 12 May 2023
Date of release: 1 December 2023
Judge: Ala Bohnat
Mikhail Kukharchuk is from Kobryn, Brest region. He was detained for commenting on the Internet no later than January 24, 2023. Kukharchuk was accused of insulting Lukashenka under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code ('Contempt of the president of Belarus') and placed under house arrest pending trial.
Law enforcers published a video in which Kukharchuk was reported to have posted 860 protesting comments online. The video contained examples of such messages. For example, on February 27, 2022, a Telegram channel posted the news about Lukashenka having recognized the launch of the missiles from the territory of Belarus, and Kukharchuk commented on the news, referring to Lukashenka and Putin as "two idiots".
The case of the political prisoner was considered on March 24, 2023, in Kobryn. Judge Ala Bohnat found Mikhail Kukharchuk guilty and sentenced him to 12 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. He was taken into custody after the verdict was announced.
On December 1, 2023, he was scheduled to be released from prison.
