Former investigator sentenced to 1.5 years in prison on charges of blocking traffic in Brest after elections

March 17, BPN. Two more suspects have been convicted of blocking the traffic in Brest following the 2020 presidential election in the so-called “round dance case.” According to the Viasna Human Rights Center, they were found guilty of participating in actions that grossly violated public order.

Judge Maryna Skalkovič sentenced Aliaksandr Antaniuk to one year and a half in prison. The second defendant, Ruslan Hačynski, was sentenced to two years of “restricted freedom.” He has been ordered to serve his sentence at home.

During the trial, Antaniuk pleaded not guilty, while Hačynski pleaded guilty to all charges.

Antaniuk worked as an investigator until July 2020. The reasons for his dismissal remain unclear. He was arrested on November 2, 2021 and held in custody awaiting the trial.

In all, 116 people have already been convicted on the traffic blocking charges in Brest. They have been sentenced to 97 years of “restricted freedom” to be served at home, 84.5 years of “restricted freedom” to be served in open-type correctional institutions, and 13 years and 8 months in prison.

The prosecutor’s office said that a criminal case against six more defendants in the same case has been sent to court. The case remains the largest in the history of modern Belarus by the number of convictions.

On September 13, 2020, protesters blocked the traffic at the intersection of Kasmanaŭtaŭ and Šaučenka boulevards with Mašeraŭ Avenue in Brest, singing songs and performing round dances. They were dispersed with a water cannon.