Supreme Court upholds BelaPAN sentences

January 6, BPN. The Supreme Court has upheld the long prison sentences handed out to BelaPAN executives. It has made small changes to a lower court ruling without reducing the terms.

On October 6, judge Viačasłaŭ Tulejka of the Minsk Regional Court sentenced the media company’s 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, 14 years; his wife Iryna Złobina, nine years.

The judge fined Navažyłaŭ 22,400 rubels (some $8,900), Złobina 25,600 rubels and Alaksandraŭ 32,000 rubels.

The defendants were accused of establishing an extremist group (Alaksandraŭ, Leŭšyna, Navažyłaŭ), treason (Alaksandraŭ, Złobina), tax evasion (Alaksandraŭ, Navažyłaŭ), and organization of actions grossly disturbing public order (Alaksandraŭ and Złobina). Human rights groups consider all four political prisoners.

At least 33 journalists are in prison in Belarus, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said. Many independent reporters have left the country for fear of reprisals.