Sviatlana Bakanava
in custody
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 27 June 1981
Date of detention: 17 May 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 367 of the Criminal Code — Slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus
Sentence: 1 year
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 20 March 2024
Judge: Mikalai Kmita
Sviatlana Bakanava was taken in custody under Article 368 of the Criminal Code ('Contempt of the president of Belarus').
At first, she was convicted under an administrative article for "dissemination, production, storage, or transportation of information products containing calls to extremist activities or promoting such activities". Later, criminal proceedings were started against her for "insulting Lukashenka".
On August 17, 2023, in the Court of Baranavichy and Baranavichy District, Sviatlana was charged with slandering Aliaksandr Lukashenka under part 2 of article 367 of the Criminal Code. The trial was conducted by Judge Mikalai Kmita.
The court sentenced Sviatlana to one year of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony. The woman's cell phone was seized for the state income.
On September 8 Sviatlana was included in the list of "persons involved in extremist activity”.
She is serving her sentence in penal colony No. 4.
