Viktar Snehur
sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 20 July 1988
Date of detention: 4 January 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 295 of the Criminal Code — Unlawful acts against firearms, ammunition and explosives
Part 2 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code — Participation in a criminal organization in any other form
Art. 333-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal cross-border transportation of poisonous, poisonous substances, radioactive materials, weapons, military equipment
Part 1 of Art. 14 and Part 2 of Art. 357 of the Criminal Code — Attempted conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means
Sentence: 19 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Maksim Filatau
Prosecutor: Liudmila Herasimenka, Uladzimir Rabau
Prison: Penal colony No. 14
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Godparent: Josée Lorsché, Member of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies
Viktar Snehur received 19 years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 25,600 Belarusian rubles ($10,100) in a high-profile Autukhovich case. He was convicted of:
- Taking any other part in a criminal organization (Part 2 of Article 285 of the CC);
- Attempted seizure of state power by unconstitutional means; (Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 357),
- Unlawful acts in relation to firearms, ammunition, and explosives committed by an organized group (Part 4 of Article 295); and
- Illegal transportation of firearms, ammunition, explosives, explosive devices across the customs border of the EEU and the State Border of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 3 of Article 333-1).
The defendants in the case were political activist Mikalai Autukhovich, priest Siarhei Rezanovich, his wife Liubou Rezanovich, their son Pavel Rezanovich, pensioner Halina Dzerbysh, activist Uladzimir Hundar, activist Volha Mayorava, pensioner Iryna Melkher and her son Anton Melkher, and Iryna Harachkina, Viktar Snehur and Pavel Sava. They have been held behind bars for 22 months. Only two of them fully admitted their guilt. All of them were detained in December–January 2020. The authorities immediately declared Autukhovich the organizer and leader of a “terrorist group” that operated in the Hrodna region and allegedly set police officers’ cars and houses on fire.
The trial lasted five months. The verdict was pronounced on October 17, 2022, in the Hrodna Regional Court. Judge Maksim Filatau imposed jail terms ranging from two and a half to 25 years. Deputy chair of the prosecutor's office Liudmila Herasimenka and senior assistant prosecutor Rabau represented the state prosecution at the trial. The people's assessors were Stavorka, Zhdanovich, and Nichypor.
Mikalai Autukhovich gets 25 years in jail, members of his ‘group’—up to 20
