Tatsiana Kolas
sentenced to 6.5 years of imprisonment in penal colony
Prisoner
Date of birth: 14 May 1981
Date of detention: 27 June 2022
Charges indicted:
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
- Art. 352 of the Criminal Code — Illegal acquisition of computer information
- Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data
- Art. 426 of the Criminal Code: Abuse of power or authority
Sentence: 6 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Alena Shylko
Prison: Penal colony No. 4
Groups: Government employees
Cases: The Black Book of Belarus case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Yves Cruchten, Member of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies https://spring96.org/en/news/107082
Tatsiana Kolas is from Minsk. She worked in the Minsk Municipal Executive Committee and had access to the personal data of law enforcement officials, which she later leaked to the Black Book of Belarus Telegram channel.
On June 27, 2022, pro-government Telegram channels reported that Kolas had worked in one of the state companies and had access to law enforcers' personal data. They claimed that she came to 'surrender' to GUBAZiK (the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption) on her own initiative.
Until the trial, Kolas was released under house arrest. Later, she was included in the 'List of persons involved in terrorist activities'.
The trial began on September 22, 2022, in the Minsk City Court. Kolas was tried under four articles of the Criminal Code:
- Part 3 of Art. 203-1 ('Illegal actions in relation to privacy information and personal data')
- Part 3 of Art. 130 ('Inciting racial, national, religious or other social hatred or enmity')
- Part 3 of Art. 352 ('Unlawful possession of computer information')
- Part 3 of Art. 426 ('Abuse of power or official authority')
One of the progovernment channels wrote that, "Her remorse counted, and for her full cooperation with the investigation, half of her term was written off. Until the trial, she remained free and lived at home, and that time counted, so the announced term is somewhat shorter. However, if she had waited until they came for her, it would have been a 12-year term without any reservations".
The trial was conducted by the judge Alena Shylko.
The court found Tatsiana Kolas guilty and sentenced her to six and a half years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
She is serving her sentence in correctional colony #4 in Homieĺ.
