Paviel Sava
sentenced to 20 years
Prisoner
Date of birth: 27 May 1974
Date of detention: 1 December 2020
Charges indicted:
- 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
Sentence: 20 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Maksim Filatau
Prosecutor: Liudmila Herasimenka, Uladzimir Rabau
Prison: Penal colony No. 8
Notes: Prison security level
Cases: The Autukhovich case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Pavel Sava received 20 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 22,400 Belarusian rubles ($8,800) in a high-profile Autukhovich case. He was convicted of:
- ‘taking part in a criminal organization’ (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC) and
- ‘an act of terrorism committed by a group of persons’ (Part 3 of Article 289 of the CC).
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