Sentenced BelaPAN journalists taken away from Minsk before appeal hearings

November 3, BPN. Police have transferred all of the BelaPAN case convicts to regional detention facilities.

They placed Andrej Alaksandraŭ and Dźmitryj Navažyłaŭ in a jail in Viciebsk, and sent Iryna Leŭšyna and Iryna Złobina to Homiel.

On October 6, the Minsk Regional Court announced a guilty verdict on former executives of the BelaPAN media company.

Judge Viačasłaŭ Tulejka sentenced CEO and editor in chief Iryna Leŭšyna to four years in prison. The previous CEO, Dźmitryj Navažyłaŭ, was given six years. Former deputy CEO Andrej Alaksandraŭ would serve 14 years, and his wife Iryna Złobina – nine years.

On top of that, the judge fined Navažyłaŭ 22,400 rubels (some $8,900), Złobina 25,600 rubels and Alaksandraŭ 32,000 rubels.

The defendants were accused of creating an extremist group (Alaksandraŭ, Leŭšyna, Navažyłaŭ), treason (Alaksandraŭ, Złobina), tax evasion (Alaksandraŭ, Navažyłaŭ), and organization of actions grossly disturbing public order (Alaksandraŭ and Złobina). All four were recognized as political prisoners by human rights groups.

On October 20, reports came through that the four appealed against the verdict.

At least 32 journalists are in prison, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said. Many independent reporters have left the country for fear of reprisals.