Piotr Staratsitarau
in custody pending trial
Political prisoner
Date of birth: 9 February 1958
Date of detention: 6 February 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 361 of the Criminal Code — Calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
- Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 369-1 of the Criminal Code — Discrediting Belarus
Date of verdict: 21 August 2023
Sentence: 5 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Yauhen Sharshniou
Prison: Detention facility is being clarified
Groups: Businessmen
Notes: War in Ukraine
Piotr Staratsitarau is a 65-year-old businessman from Mazyr, Homieĺ region. He was arrested for anti-war messages insulting Lukashenka on February 6, 2023 and placed in remand prison #3 in Homieĺ. It is known that he is charged under Art. 368 of the Criminal Code ('Contempt of the president of Belarus').
In the Soviet times, Piotr Staratsitarau studied in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, and worked at the Mazyrprambud building entity. Since 1992, he has been a co-owner of the Lotas woodworking company. He received letters of thanks from the local administration and the Orthodox Church and was included in the lists of the best businessmen of the Homieĺ Region.
