Journalists Yury Drakakhrust and Hanna Liubakova added to Belarusian Interior Ministry’s ‘extremist’ list and KGB’s ‘terrorist’ registry
On 25 October, the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs website updated its list of “persons involved in extremist activities.” The list was expanded to include the names of 20 defendants in the “Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts” criminal case who were convicted in a special proceedings trial. They include journalists from the Belarusian independent media, Yury Drakakhrust and Hanna Liubakova.
According to Pozirk, the day before, on 24 October, all 20 people recognized by the government as members of the “extremist formation” were added to the KGB’s “terrorist list.”
All the defendants in the case, which targets 20 independent analysts, researchers, journalists, and politicians, are currently residing abroad. As a result, the trial in the Minsk Regional Court took place without their presence, as did the consideration of appeals in the Supreme Court.
All individuals associated with the extremist formation were found guilty of the following offenses:
- conspiracy to seize state power through unconstitutional means;
- joining an extremist formation to commit an extremist crime;
- aiding and abetting public calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus;
- facilitating deliberate acts aimed at inciting social hatred and discord based on social affiliation by a group of persons.
One of the defendants, Aliaksandr Dabravolski, was additionally found guilty of leading an extremist formation and its subdivision.
The following sentences were imposed on the accused for the totality of the crimes committed:
Aliaksandr Dabravolski – 11 years and 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of $73,350;
Hanna Krasulina, Dzianis Kuchynski, Piotr Rudkouski, Aliaksandr Shlyk – 11 years in prison and fines ranging from $12,250 to $490,000;
Hanna Liubakova, Yury Drakakhrust, Ryhor Astapenia, Filip Bikanau, Andrei Kazakevich, Yauhen Kryzhanouski, Veranika Laputska, Aliaksandr Lahvinets, Vasil Navumau, Maria Rohava, Alesia Rudnik, Natallia Rabava, Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Katsiaryna Shmatsina – 10 years in prison;
Pavel Usau – 11 years in prison.
The sentence was pronounced on 1 July 2024. On 8 October, after considering the convicts’ appeals, the Supreme Court dismissed them, and the verdict of the Minsk Regional Court remained unchanged.