Siarhei Hrybovich
sentenced 4 1/2 years of penal colony
Prisoner
Date of birth: 28 July 1969
Date of detention: 13 March 2022
Charges indicted:
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- 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
- Article 361-3 of the Criminal Code — Participation or preparing to participate in hostilities on foreign soil by a Republic of Belarus citizen
Sentence: 4 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Yauhen Burunou
Prison: Penal colony No. 3
Notes: War in Ukraine
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Siarhei Hrybovich is from Dokšycy, Viciebsk region. He was arrested in early March 2022 under two articles of the Criminal Code: Article 130 ('Inciting racial, national, religious or other social enmity') and Article 361-3 ('Participation on the territory of a foreign state in an armed formation or armed conflict, military operations, recruiting or training individuals for such participation').
In the "repentance video", Hrybovich said that he had filled out a form on Telegram to go to Ukraine and fight against the Russian troops. He was placed in remand prison #2 in Viciebsk.
On November 4, 2022, the trial began in the Viciebsk Regional Court. Hrybovich was charged under Art. 369 ('Insulting a government official'), Part 1 of Art. 130 ('Inciting racial, national, religious or other social enmity'), Part 1 and Part 2 of Art. 367 ('Defamation against the president of Belarus'), Part 1 and Part 2 of Art. 368 ('Insulting the president of Belarus'), and Part 1 of Art. 361-3 ('Creating an extremist formation or participating in it').
Hrybovich was sent for a psychiatric examination.
On January 27, 2023, Judge Yauhen Burunou found Hrybovich guilty and sentenced him to four and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony, and a fine of BYN 7,000 (approx. USD 2,500).
On February 15, 2023, the KGB added the political prisoner to the 'List of persons involved in terrorist activities".
