Pavel Kuchynski
sentenced to 4 years and 9 months of imprisonment
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 12 November 1994
Date of detention: 26 January 2022
Charges indicted:
- Art. 364 of the Criminal Code — Violence or threat of violence against an employee of the internal affairs bodies
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 391 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a judge
- Art. 389 of the Criminal Code — Threat to a judge or lay judge
Sentence: 4 years and 9 months
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Date of release: 20 August 2024
Judge: Kanstantsin Kaliadau
Prosecutor: Andrei Zhukouski
Notes: Health issues, Pardon / amnesty
Groups: Priests and religious people
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Britta Haßelmann, chairperson of the parliamentary group Alliance 90/The Greens in the German Bundestag
Pavel Kuchynski was detained on January 26, 2022, in Maladziečna for his comments on the Internet. He is accused under five articles of the Criminal Code:
- Art. 369 (Insulting a government official),
- Art. 389 (Threat to a judge or lay judge),
- Art. 391 (Insulting a judge),
- Art. 364 (Violence or threat of violence against an employee of the internal affairs bodies), whose case has already been investigated,
- Art. 368 (Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus).
Pavel has been diagnosed with the fourth stage of cancer.
On June 7, Viliejka District Court pronounced the verdict in a case against political prisoner. The case was considered by Judge Kanstantsin Kaliadau, deputy district prosecutor Andrei Zhukouski represented the state prosecution. On the totality of articles by partial addition of punishments, the judge decided to impose a final sentence of five years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony. Kuchynski also has to pay compensation for moral damage to the head of the Maladziečna district police department Vadzim Pryhar in the amount of 1,500 rubles (about 450 US dollars) and to the assistant commander of the Maladziečna district police squad Henadz Filistovich 1,000 rubles (about 300 US dollars).
Upon the appeal, Pavel Kuchynski's sentence was commuted to four years and nine months, while the fine was increased to 3,840 rubles ($1,521).
At the end of August 2024, Pavel was pardoned and released. However, according to his acquaintance, he was taken from the prison hospital to the city hospital with pneumonia.
Severe sentence for political prisoner with stage-IV cancer
