August 13, Pozirk. The Supreme Court will consider former journalist Alena Cimaščuk’s appeal against her five-year prison sentence on August 16, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported.
The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Judge Siarhiej Huraŭ will preside over the proceedings.
On June 3, the Brest Regional Court found Cimaščuk guilty of discrediting Belarus, inciting hatred and association with an extremist group.
Cimaščuk had worked at the state newspaper Brestskiy Vestnik and the television network Brest. As a freelancer, she also cooperated with regional media such as Vecherniy Brest, Brestskiy Kuryer and Brestskaya Gazeta.
On June 13, Belarusian human rights groups declared Cimaščuk a political prisoner.
According to the BAJ, 37 journalists and other media industry workers are in prison.
The human rights community currently recognizes 1,384 people as Belarus’ political prisoners, but the actual number of repressed people is significantly higher.
