December 26, Pozirk. Judge Śviatłana Kremenieŭskaja in Brest has sentenced exiled politician Vadzim Prakopjeŭ, a co-founder of the Belarusian volunteer regiment Pahonia, to 25 years in prison without the defendant being present.
She found him guilty of insulting and slandering Alaksandar Łukašenka and officials, inciting hatred and calling for sanctions.
Prakopjeŭ was also ordered to pay a fine of 37,000 rubels (about $11,550) and banned from holding managerial positions for five years, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.
In June, the Minsk City Court had held another trial in absentia and sentenced Prakopjeŭ to 25 years in prison in an arson case. Authorities also blacklisted him as “a person involved in terrorist activities.”
Trials in absentia in the so-called special proceedings target those living abroad and evading contact with investigators. Amendments listing 34 offenses and allowing for investigations and trials in absentia came into effect in July 2022.
