Pavel Vinahradau
blogger and activist, sentenced to 5 years
Date of birth: 24 April 1988
Date of detention: 22 December 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
Sentence: 5 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Mikalai Siarheika
Prison: Prison No. 1
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Jens Teutrine, member of the German Bundestag
Pavel Vinahradau is an activist and blogger. He was detained on December 22, 2021 at his private house in Bierazino.
Pavel became a defendant in a criminal case under Art. 130 of the Criminal Code (Inciting social discord), Art. 367 of the Criminal Code (Slander against the President) and Art. 342 (Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them).
On March 10, 2022, a private consideration of Pavel's case started in Minsk City Court. On March 16, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
On June 10, 2022, Judge of the Supreme Court Uladzimir Davydau considered Pavel's appeal against the sentence and upheld it. In the near future the political prisoner will be escorted to Penal Colony No. 1.
On June 28, 2022, the KGB added the political prisoner to the list of persons "involved in terrorist activities".
On July 28, 2022, Pavel was transferred from the penal colony No. 11 to the Orša colony No. 12. It is known that Vinahradau was deprived of long visits for sleeping during the day - now the political prisoner is officially recognized as a "persistent violator of the regime". Pavel was diagnosed with tuberculosis and lost 36 kg of weight.
In mid-February 2023 Pavel was cured of tuberculosis and was sent back to Vaŭkavysk penal colony No. 11.
In November 2023 it became known that Pavel had spent six months in the punishment cell. This was reported by his wife Sviatlana on Facebook.
Pavel has already been a political prisoner before. In 2008, he was involved in the "case of fourteen" against the participanys of an entrepreneurs' rally. Back then, he was sentenced to 2 years of home confinement. Since 2010, he has been an activist of the "Tell the Truth" campaign. After a protest against the rigged election results, Pavel was arrested on January 5, 2011. He was charged with organizing and participating in riots, as well as insulting state symbols. In May 2011, judge Ala Bulash sentenced him to 4 years in a maximum security prison. Pavel was later pardoned and released.
