Political prisoner with mental disability, mother leave Belarus

April 9, BPN. Dźmitryj Hopta, 23, a resident of Žłobin, Homiel region, and his mother have fled Belarus, volunteer Illa Mironaŭ said on Facebook.

It is unclear in what country they are based.

On December 31, the young man with a mental disability was freed from the Viciebsk region’s Penal Colony No. 3.

On February 5, 2021 the Žlobin District Court sentenced Hopta to two years’ imprisonment, finding him guilty of grossly disturbing public order and threatening violence against police. Prosecutors claimed that Hopta “participated in an unauthorized rally, threw stones towards policemen and police vans” near the Žlobin Palace of Culture on August 10, 2020.

The charges based on Hopta’s “confessions.” The policemen, who testified as victims, said that they had not suffered any injuries. No videos or pictures to support the charges were shown in court.

Hopta was allowed to stay at home during the preliminary investigation and trial. He was taken into custody after judge Iryna Pradun passed the sentence.

Human rights defenders said his persecution was politically-motivated

Volha Hopta told reporters that her son suffered from a mental disorder, diagnosed as F70.1 (“a significant behavioral disorder requiring care and treatment,” according to the International Classification of Diseases).

In early 2022, the mother said Dźmitryj Hopta has been denied a pardon.