June 3, Pozirk. A judge in Hrodna has sentenced Anton Matolka, founder of the now defunct defense monitoring project Biełaruski Hajun, to 20 years in prison on extremism-related charges without him being present at the trial, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of 84,000 rubels (some $28,000).
Prosecutors accused Matolka of plotting to seize state power by unconstitutional means since late 2020 for running several opposition Telegram channels. Charges against him also included high treason, violent disorder, inciting hatred, calling for sanctions, discrediting the state and publicly insulting Alaksandar Łukašenka among others.
Established in early 2022, Biełaruski Hajun documented military activities of Russian troops in Belarus and helped the Ukrainians assess threats after Russia launched a full-scale war on their country in February 2022. It was forced to shut down earlier this year following a massive data breach.
People who shared information with the group faced politically-motivated persecution in Belarus and many had to flee abroad fearing reprisals.
