Viktar Katouski
musician, sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 9 May 1990
Date of detention: 30 September 2021
Charges indicted:
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 3 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 3 June 2024
Judge: Mikalai Hryharovich
Prosecutor: Katsiaryna Pakala
Groups: Cultural workers
Cases: The Zeltser case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Viktar Katouski was detained in Brest for publishing comments on the Internet in connection with the deaths of IT worker Andrei Zeltser and KGB agent Dzmitry Fedasiuk.
Viktar is charged under part 1 of article 368 (insult of the President of the Republic of Belarus), article 369 (insult of a government official ) and part 1 of article 130 (incitement to hatred).
On April 14, 2022, the Brest Regional Court passed a verdict in the criminal case of Viktar Katouski. Judge Mikalai Hryharovich sentenced the musician to three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 3,200 rubles (about 950 US dollars).
