Vital Rohach

sentenced to 2 1/2 years of imprisonment

Former prisoner

Date of birth: 24 November 1991

Date of detention: 29 September 2021

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them
  • Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
  • Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred

Sentence: 2 1/2 years

Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony

Date of release: 20 October 2023

Judge: Valiantsina Ziankevich

Cases: The Zeltser case

Vital Rohach

Vital Rohach was detained on September 29, 2021, for comments after the murder of KGB officer and Andrei Zeltser. A case under Article 130 of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred) was brought against Vital.

In the course of the investigation, which lasted 11 months, investigators brought additional charges of insulting a government official and organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order.

On August 11, 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court sentenced political prisoner Vital Rohach. Rohach was accused of ‘organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate the public order’‘inciting hatred’, and ‘insulting a government official’ under Part 1 of Article 342, Part 1 of Article 130, and Article 369 of the Criminal Code accordingly. The court found Rohach guilty on all counts and sentenced him to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 6,400 Belarusian rubles (2,500 US dollars).

Another verdict passed in Zeltser case

On August 11, 2022, the Minsk Municipal Court sentenced political prisoner Vital Rohach. Rohach was accused of ‘organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate the public order’, ‘inciting hatred’, and ‘insulting a government official’ under Part 1 of Article 342, Part 1 of Article 130, and Article 369 of the Criminal Code accordingly.

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