Activists tried, sentenced to prison for cash transfers to political prisoners

July 8, Pozirk. The Brest Regional Court has sentenced Iryna Pahadajeva to three years in prison after finding her guilty of facilitating extremism by sending cash to political prisoners, BG.media reported.

Pahadajeva made 32 money transfers to political prisoners, the prosecutor said, claiming that she was “motivated by ideological hatred and had malicious intent against the current government.”

Pavieł Sapiełka, of the Viasna Human Rights Center, dismissed the sentence as a politically-motivated effort to suppress solidarity initiatives.

He stressed that solidarity groups will be looking for unconventional safe ways to support prisoners, making it difficult for the government to detect and punish dissent.

Pahadajeva, arrested on May 6, is one of the first activists punished for financial support to political prisoners.

The Brest Regional Court is considering a similar case against Iryna Bandarenka accused of sending small amounts of money to prisoners and bringing aid packages to a pre-trial detention center.

On July 8, the same court opened the trial of Natalla Malec in connection with alleged cash transfers to political prisoners.

In 2023, Malec had been sentenced to 18 months of restricted freedom, a type of home confinement, for allegedly insulting an official.

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