Pavel Nikitsenka
sentenced to 2 1/2 years of imprisonment
Prisoner
Date of birth: 4 March 1987
Date of detention: 24 November 2021
Charges indicted:
- Part 3 of Art. 293 of the Criminal code — Training or other preparation of persons for participation in mass riots, or financing of this activity
- Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
- 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. 361-1 of the Criminal Code — Creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it
- Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data
Sentence: 4 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 10 March 2023
Judge: Yauhen Burunou
Prison: Penal colony No. 2
Groups: IT specialists
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Pavel Nikitsenka is a student at Viciebsk Technological University and a programmer.
He was detained on November 24, 2021, and placed in custody. Nikitsenka was convicted under six articles of the Criminal Code:
- ‘violation of confidentiality of correspondence, telephone conversations, telegraphic or other messages’ (Part 3 of Article 203-1);
- ‘training or other preparation of persons for participation in mass riots’ (Part 3 of Article 293);
- ‘actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order’ (Article 342);
- ‘leading an extremist formation’ (Part 1 of Article 361-1);
- ‘insulting the President’ (Article 368); and
- ‘insulting a government official’ (Article 369).
On the combination of the crimes, Judge Yauhen Burunou sentenced Nikitsenka to 4.5 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 3,200 Belarusian rubles (1,270 US dollars). The court also satisfied the claims of one of the victims in terms of compensation for moral harm in the amount of 1,000 Belarusian rubles (400 US dollars).
