Pavel Rakotsa
sentenced to 1 1/2 years in penal colony
Date of birth: 30 December 1979
Date of detention: 14 July 2022
Charges indicted:
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. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 1 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 21 April 2023
Date of release: 22 September 2023
Judge: Anatol Sotnikau
Pavel Rakotsa is from Homieĺ. He was a graduator of the Francysk Skaryna Homieĺ State University and an active quiz player.
After the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Pavel Rakotsa actively spoke out against the war on his page on the VKontakte Russian social network. Later, his page was blocked by the decision of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. His anti-war statements on social networks could be the reason for accusing him of 'inciting other social enmity and hatred'.
Rakotsa was detained on July 14, 2022 after arriving in Belarus. Before going to Belarus, he told a friend, "If I don't get in touch, it means I'm detained". He was first held in the KGB remand prison in Minsk, and a couple of weeks later he was transferred to remand prison #3 in Homieĺ.
On February 15, 2023, the Homieĺ Regional Court convicted Rakotsa under Part 1 of Art. 130 ('Inciting other social enmity and hatred'), Part 1 of Art. 368 ('Insulting the president of Belarus'), and Art. 369 ('Insulting a government official') of the Criminal Code. Judge Anatol Sotnikau sentenced Pavel Rakotsa to 18 months of imprisonment in a general security penal colony.
The Homieĺ branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reports that the trial was held behind closed doors, therefore the details of the case are unknown.
Pavel served his sentence in full and was released from jail on September 22, 2023.
