Vital Minkevich
sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment
Date of birth: 13 February 1994
Date of detention: 26 September 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
Art. 289 of the Criminal Code — An act of terrorism
Art. 290-4 of the Criminal Code — Establishing or participating in an organization for the purpose of terrorist activity
Art. 290 of the Criminal Code — Threat to commit an act of terrorism
Sentence: 15 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Natallia Ahladkova
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Vital Minkevich was accused of ‘terrorist activities’ carried on in the summer and autumn of 2021. He was also accused of burning Lukashenka's effigy in March 2021.
Minkevich was detained on September 26, 2021, together with Ihar Kazlou and Kanstantsin Yermalovich.
In total, five people were defendants in the case: Ihar Kazlou, Kanstantsin Yermalovich, Vital Minkevich, Natallia Ked, and Nadzeya Polkina.
They were charged on several counts:
- ‘creation of an organization to carry out terrorist activity or participation in it’ (Part 2, Article 290-4 of the Criminal Code);
- ‘an act of terrorism’ (Part 2 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code);
- ‘threat of committing an act of terrorism’ (Part 2 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code);
- ‘insult of the President of the Republic of Belarus’ (Part 1 of Article 368).
The Babrujsk District and Municipal Court. handed down the verdict on August 10, 2022. Judge Natallia Ahladkova found Ihar Kazlou, Kanstantsin Yermalovich, Vital Minkevich, Natallia Ked, and Nadzeya Polkina guilty of burning down an effigy of Lukashenka in March 2021. Kazlou, Yermalovich, and Minkevich were also found guilty of a number of actions of a ‘terrorist nature’ in the summer and autumn of 2021.
Thus:
- Kanstantsin Yermalovich was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and a fine of 9,600 Belarusian rubles (equivalent to 3,800 US dollars);
- Vital Minkevich was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony;
- Ihar Kazlou was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony;
- Nadzeya Polkina was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony;
- Natallia Ked was sentenced to 24 months years of freedom restriction under home confinement under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code.
Babrujsk ‘terrorists’ sentenced to long terms in jail
