Uladzimir Niaronski
blogger, served full term, released
Date of birth: 24 May 1980
Date of detention: 8 May 2020
Charges indicted:
Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
Sentence: 3 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 14 January 2023
Judge: Aliaksandr Rybakou
Prosecutor: Aliaksandr Liaukovich
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Nik Gugger,, Swiss National Councilor
Uladzimir Niaronski is a blogger based in Sluck, Minsk region, and the author of the Sluck for Living YouTube channel.
From May 8, 2020, he served 40 days of administrative detention on illegal protesting charges. It is unknown when and where his trials took place. On June 17, it became known that Uladzimir Niaronski had been placed in pre-trial prison No. 1 in Minsk. A criminal case was opened against him under two articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Art. 342 ('Organization and preparation for actions that grossly violate public order')—for the election picket on May 29 in Hrodna, and Art. 369 ('Insulting a government official')—for allegedly insulting the chairman of the Sluck district executive committee on his YouTube channel.
On February 2, 2021, Judge Aliaksandr Rybakou of the Lahojsk District Court sentenced Uladzimir Niaronski to a three-year imprisonment in a general-security penal colony, having found him guilty of calling to breach public order (Part 1 of Art 342 of the Criminal Code) and publicly insulting a government official (Art. 369).
The court concluded that the blogger used his YouTube channel to incite unrest, acting in conspiracy with the blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski and the politician Mikalai Statkevich.
On April 6, the Minsk Regional Court turned down Niaronski's appeal and the sentence became final.
Niaronski served his full term and on January 14, 2023 he was released from penal colony No. 15.
