ByPol defendants sentenced to 11–25 years in prison

February 15, Pozirk. The Minsk City Court has sentenced founders, representatives, and ex-members of the ByPol union of former law enforcers to long prison terms in absentia, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

The court sentenced Alaksandar Azaraŭ to 25 years, Maćviej Kuprejčyk, Uładzimir Žyhar, Ihar Łoban, and Aleh Talerčyk to 12 years; and Andrej Astapovič to 11 years.

It also fined Azaraŭ 400,000 rubels (some $122,000 at the current exchange rate); Kuprejčyk 220,000 rubels; Žyhar, Łoban, and Astapovič 200,000 rubels; and Talerčyk 40,000 rubels.

The defendants in the ByPol case were found guilty of trying to overthrow the government and inciting hatred.

In addition, Azaraŭ was found guilty of high treason, terrorism, and destruction of railway equipment.

Some of the accused were convicted of other “extremist crimes.”

The court was hearing the ByPol case, opened under the special procedure that allows the government to prosecute its exiled opponents, since January 22.

According to investigators, the defendants and other ByPol members agitated the masses and exerted pressure on the government and civil servants by publishing their personal data on the Internet.

They also accused ByPol of a “special operation” called Victory Plan and of involvement in the “extremist” groups, such as the opposition United Transitional Cabinet and Paspalitaje Rušeńnie, a network of patriotic self-defense training camps.