Mikhail Zhamchuzhny
civil society activist
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 14 August 1955
Date of detention: 15 December 2014
Charges indicted:
- Art. 431 of the Criminal Code — Giving a bribe
- Art. 376 of the Criminal Code — Illegal production, acquisition or sale of funds for secretly obtaining information
- Art. 375 of the Criminal Code — Deliberate disclosure of official secrets
Sentence: 6 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony
Date of release: 19 February 2021
Judge: Illia Belavus
Groups: Scientists, Teachers
Mikhail Zhamchuzhny is a human rights activist, who was sentenced on 10 July 2015 to 6.5 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony. Zhamchuzhny was found guilty of inciting the deliberate disclosure of information constituting an official secret, illegal acquisition of funds for purchasing classified data, and bribery. The sentence pronounced by the Viciebsk Regional Court also included a ban on holding positions related to the implementation of organizational and administrative duties for a period of 2 years and 8 months. A number of key human rights organizations declared the convict a political prisoner.
The convict initially served his sentence in the penitentiaries of Navasady and Ivacevičy. On July 13, 2017, he was transferred to penal colony No. 9 in the town of Horki.
On February 19, 2021, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny was released after spending 6 1/2 years in prison.
