Belarus: jailed US lawyer asks for pardon, reaches out to Harris and Trump

September 20, Pozirk. Juryj Ziankovič, a Belarusian-US lawyer serving a sentence for alleged conspiracy to assassinate Alaksandar Łukašenka, has asked Alaksandar Łukašenka for pardon and a chance to go back to the United States.

He made the appeal yesterday in the Belarus 1 broadcast titled “Murderous Plot. Target Łukašenka.”

He also asked Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, candidates in November’s election, to help him return to the USA as soon as possible.

In the broadcast, Ziankovič talks about plans for a military coup and Łukašenka’s assassination. Belarus 1 showed Zoom calls between alleged plotters.

The Minsk Regional Court in September 2022 sentenced Ziankovič to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty of conspiracy to overthrow the government, forming an extremist group, public calls for a coup d’état and incitement to hatred.

Ziankovič cooperated with investigators and pleaded guilty in exchange for a lenient sentence. Human rights defenders declared him a political prisoner.

In December 2022, he was reportedly tried in the Minsk region’s Miadziel district for insulting a state servant. The judge added six months to his sentence.