Nine defendants in Tut.by case pardoned

April 16, BPN. Authorities have pardoned nine defendants in the Tut.by case following a request for pardon filed in December 2022, Hoster.by CEO Siarhej Pavališaŭ said on Facebook.

Hoster.by provider is one of the projects by the late Tut.by founder Juryj Zisser.

All pardoned defendants were accused of tax evasion and asked authorities to drop criminal charges against them, Zerkalo.io reported. They also pleaded guilty and compensated the alleged damages, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

In May 2021, police raided Tut.by offices and arrested 15 journalists. All except editor in chief Maryna Zołatava and CEO Ludmila Čekina were released later after agreeing to cooperate with investigators.

Authorities charged Tut.by management with large-scale tax evasion for allegedly generating revenue from activities not permitted for Hi-Tech Park residents.

On March 17, the Minsk City Court sentenced Zołatava and Čekina to 12 years in prison on charges of inciting hatred, calling for sanctions and tax evasion. Former Tut.by editor Volha Łojka, journalist Alena Tałkačova and lawyer Kaciaryna Tkačenka did not show up for the trial and are now on the wanted list.

Tut.by team left Belarus in July 2021 to launch Zerkalo.io, a news website that largely follows in the footsteps of the original media outlet. Belarus and Russia have blocked access to the website. On top of that, Belarus declared it extremist content.

In June 2022, the Minsk Economic Court designated Tut By Media as an extremist organization, banning its activities in Belarus.