Piotr Staratsitarau
in custody pending trial
Date of birth: 9 February 1958
Date of detention: 6 February 2023
Charges indicted:
Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
Prison: Pre-trial detention center No. 3
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.