Pavel Rezanovich
former government official, sentenced to 19 years
Date of birth: 1 July 1993
Date of detention: 1 December 2020
Charges indicted:
Art. 295 of the Criminal Code — Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition and explosives
Part 2 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code — Participation in a criminal organization in any other form
Art. 289 of the Criminal Code — An act of terrorism
Part 1 of Art. 14 and Part 2 of Art. 357 of the Criminal Code — Attempted conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means
Sentence: 19 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony
Prison sentence start date: 31 March 2023
Judge: Maksim Filatau, Aliaksandr Tarakanau
Prosecutor: Liudmila Herasimenka, Uladzimir Rabau
Prison: Prison No. 1
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Pavel Rezanovich was arrested on terrorism charges together with his father Siarhei and mother Liubou.
In February 2021, the KGB put the political prisoner on the list of persons involved in terrorist activities.
On October 17, 2022, Pavel Rezanovich received 19 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100). He was convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code:
- ‘Creating a criminal organization and taking part in it by an official’ (Part 3 of Article 285),
- ‘Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means’ (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
- ‘Preparation for an act of terrorism committed by an organized group’ (Part 1 of Article 13 and Part 3 of Article 289), and
- ‘Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group’ (Part 4 of Article 295).
The defendants in the case were political activist Mikalai Autukhovich, priest Siarhei Rezanovich, his wife Liubou Rezanovich, their son Pavel Rezanovich, pensioner Halina Dzerbysh, activist Uladzimir Hundar, activist Volha Mayorava, pensioner Iryna Melkher and her son Anton Melkher, and Iryna Harachkina, Viktar Snehur and Pavel Sava. They have been held behind bars for 22 months. Only two of them fully admitted their guilt. All of them were detained in December–January 2020. The authorities immediately declared Autukhovich the organizer and leader of a “terrorist group” that operated in the Hrodna region and allegedly set police officers’ cars and houses on fire.
The trial lasted five months. The verdict was pronounced on October 17, 2022, in the Hrodna Regional Court. Judge Maksim Filatau imposed jail terms ranging from two and a half to 25 years. Deputy chair of the prosecutor's office Liudmila Herasimenka and senior assistant prosecutor Rabau represented the state prosecution at the trial. The people's assessors were Stavorka, Zhdanovich, and Nichypor.
Mikalai Autukhovich gets 25 years in jail, members of his ‘group’—up to 20
