Vadzim Hurman
sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison
Date of birth: 17 May 1999
Date of detention: 11 August 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. 364 of the Criminal Code — Violence or threat of violence against an employee of the internal affairs bodies
Sentence: 3 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 8 April 2024
Judge: Volha Dubovik
Prosecutor: Siarhei Habrukovich
Vadzim Hurman was born in Maladziečna in 1999. He was charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Article 342 (Organization or active participation in group actions grossly disrupting public order) and Article 364 (Violence or threat of violence against a police officer).
According to the indictment, on August 9, 2020, Vadzim Hurman actively participated in an unauthorized mass event and disobeyed law enforcement officers. He allegedly shouted slogans, provoked citizens to take active action, and threatened six police officers with violence.
In court, Hurman pleaded guilty under Article 342, but not under Article 364. He said that when he was detained by the riot police two days later, on August 11, 2020, he and protesters were beaten and gassed in the face. Then the officers continued beating the detainees outside the police department building. According to Hurman, he was threatened with rape.
On February 8, 2021, Judge Volha Dubovik of the Maladziečna District Court sentenced Vadzim Hurman to three years and six months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
The administration of penal colony #9 in Horki (Mahilioŭ region) recognized the political prisoner as a "malicious violator of the internal regulations". In mid-January 2022, it was reported that Vadzim Hurman was placed in a tighter regime cell for five months.
In the first few months of 2023, he served at least 35 days in a punishment cell, including 21 consecutive days. The last time he was put in a punishment cell for 14 days for refusing to appear in a video for the pardon commission: the political prisoner categorically refused to admit his guilt because he does not consider himself guilty. In mid-April 2023, former prisoners said that Vadzim Hurman had again been placed in a tighter regime single cell for six months before Easter.
It is known that in April 2023, the staff of the penal colony kicked Vadzim Hurman for six hours and then brought him back to consciousness with cold water. The penal colony employees even accompany him so that he does not communicate with other prisoners. His health has deteriorated severely and he can hardly see anything.
He was released in early April 2024.
