Baranavičy court imposes unusually short sentence on protester

November 4, BPN. The Viasna Human Rights Center reports that last month, the Brest region’s Baranavičy City and District Court announced a sentence that was not typical for a politically motivated case.

It found local resident Jaŭhien Šajbak guilty of desecrating buildings and damaging property, and jailed him for one month.

Šajbak was charged with painting protest images on the walls. He told the court that he was expressing disagreement with the results of the 2020 presidential election.

It is noteworthy that for this offense, courts usually punish dissidents with longer-term restricted freedom sentences.

For example, on September 28 protester Mikałaj Sloz was freed after serving an 18-month restricted freedom term at an open type correctional facility.

This summer, Alaksandr Kasumaŭ, a resident the Brest region’s Lachavičy district, and Ina Dubinina, a resident of Minsk, were sentenced to 18 months of restricted freedom. Uładzimir Kavaloŭ, a resident of the Brest region’s Kobryn district, was sentenced to two years. Neither of them were referred to a correctional facility.

Offenders sentenced to restricted freedom with referral to an open-type correctional facility live in barracks and are required to find a job in the location. They are allowed to leave the facility for work only.

Those sentenced to restricted freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility are confined to their residence during non-working hours and are required to retain or seek employment. Law enforcement officers can visit their home or place of employment anytime to make sure they comply with the terms of confinement.