Uladzimir Tsyhanovich
blogger, sentenced to 16 years in prison
Date of birth: 26 April 1980
Date of detention: 9 June 2020
Charges indicted:
Part 1 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code — Organization of riots
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Art. 411 — Malicious disobedience to the demands of administration of the correctional institution
Sentence: 16 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a high security prison
Prison sentence start date: 20 June 2022
Judge: Mikalai Dolia, Tatsiana Kastsiuk, Mikalai Siarheika
Prosecutor: Dzianis Mikushau
Prison: Penal colony No. 20
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Franziska Brantner, member of the German Bundestag
Uladzimir Tsyhanovich is a blogger and author of the MozgON YouTube channel. He was arrested on June 9 to serve a 15-day detention in March 2020. On June 15, another trial took place and the blogger was sentenced to an additional 15 days.
On June 26, human rights activists learned that Uladzimir Tsyhanovich had been transferred to pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Minsk. He is another suspect in Siarhei Tsikhanouski's case.
In February 2021, the blogger faced an additional charge of "preparing to participate in riots" (Art. 13, Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code).
On December 14, 2021, Uladzimir Tsyhanovich was charged under Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code ('organization of mass riots') and Part 3 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code ('incitement to social hatred'). He was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony.
On May 31, 2022, the Supreme Court considered the appeals of six defendants in the Tsikhanouski case behind closed doors. The next day, the court decided to leave the sentences unchanged.
In June 2022, Tsyhanovich was transferred from remand prison #3 in Homieĺ to Vićba penal colony #3 in the Viciebsk region.
On November 4, 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs included Tsyhanovich in the 'List of persons involved in extremist activities'.
According to human rights defenders' information, the defendants in the Tsikhanouski case will have to pay a compensation of BYN 22 mln. (about USD 8,716,000 as of January 12, 2022), as indicated in the court decision, 'to employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their additional duty time during the post-election protests'.
In late December 2022, it became known that the punishment for Tsyhanovich was increased and he was transferred to Mahilioŭ for three years under the prison regime.
On April 10, 2023, in the Lieninsky District Court of Mahilioŭ, Judge Tatsiana Kastsiuk sentenced the political prisoner to one more year in prison under Part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code (Malicious disobedience to requirements of penal colony administration).
In September 2023, Uladzimir was sent to penal colony No. 11.
Now the political prisoner can get two more years of imprisonment to 16 years in a penal colony. The trial will take place at the Court of Vaŭkavysk District on November 30.
