Valeryia Kastsiuhova
political analyst, sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 30 December 1967
Date of detention: 30 June 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 361 of the Criminal Code — Calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus
Art. 357 of the Criminal Code — Conspiracy to seize power in an unconstitutional way
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 10 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Dzina Kuchuk
Prison: Penal colony No. 4
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Stéfanie Prezioso, member of the Swiss National Council
Valeryia Kastsiuhova is a political scientist, an analyst, the founder and editor of the Nashe Mneniye (Our Opinion) expert community website, the Belarusian Yearbook editor and author, and the head of the Belarus in Focus monitoring experts group.
Kastsiuhova was arrested on June 30, 2021, after a search of her home by the KGB officers. She was placed in a pre-trial detention center and later transferred to remand prison #1 in Minsk.
On February 6, 2023, in the Minsk City Court, Judge Dzina Kuchuk started the trial of Valeryia Kastsiuhova and the researcher Tatiana Kouzina. Depending on their roles, they were found guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code:
- Part 1 of Article 357 ('Assisting actions in seizing power unconstitutionally')
- Part 3 of Article 361 ('Calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus')
- Part 3 of Article 130 ('Incitement of other social hatred')
On March 17, 2023, Valeryia Kastsiuhova and Tatiana Kouzina were sentenced to ten years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony.
Political experts receive 10 years in jail
