Convicted man with disability fears for his life

March 1, BPN. A district judge in Pinsk, Brest region, sentenced Mikałaj Klimovič to one year in prison on February 28 for allegedly insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka.

Klimovič has a disability following heart surgery after a stroke in May 2022.

“I hoped and many [people] hoped that the sentence would be limited to [restricted freedom] in home confinement,” Klimovič told BPN, noting that the verdict shocked everyone, given his fragile health.

“Any prison term is death for me because I have to be under constant medical supervision and have to take a lot of strong medications,” he said. “I might not even make it through a month.”

Authorities persecuted Klimovič for a smiley under a face-swap picture showing Łukašenka and Vladimir Putin wearing Nazi uniforms.

Klimovič’s attorney informed the court about his client’s condition, warning that a custodial sentence may be dangerous for him.

Klimovič, known as Mikałaj Vierasień in social media, had been arrested in December 2022 on similar grounds. He felt unwell in custody and was hospitalized. Later Judge Andrei Bačyła fined him 111 rubels (about $40). He plans to appeal his new verdict.