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The court sentenced Kaciaryna Barysevich, a 36-year-old journalist with the independent news portal tut.by, to 6 months. and Arciom Sarokin, a 37-year-old physician, on probation for two years, with a one-year probationary period.
During a closed-door court hearing, the two were found guilty of “aggravating circumstances” for disclosing medical data related to activist Raman Bandarenka.
K. Barrysevich also received 2.9 thousand. (EUR 926) fine.
Bandarenka, a 31-year-old former soldier, died on November 12 after a conflict in one of Minsk’s districts. Media reports said that on the night of November 11, when he stepped out into his yard, strangers in disguise came to remove the white and red stripes from the fence. Conflict broke out, Bandarenka was pushed and hit on the head, and later died in hospital.
His death caused a great repercussion in the society. Thousands of people gathered for the farewell ceremony with Bandarenka in November.
Investigators later said Bandarenka was intoxicated with alcohol, but independent Belarusian media quoted a doctor as saying that no alcohol was found on his body.
K. Barysevich said that he had published data received from A. Sarokinas, which he shared after receiving permission from R. Bandarenko’s mother.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Arciomas Sarokinas
Barysevich and Sarokin have been detained since November. They were threatened with up to three years in prison.
The Belarusian Attorney General’s Office previously announced that it had prosecuted Bandarenko’s death, but noted that it had not found any employees of the internal affairs authorities involved in the activist’s bodily injury.
These convictions complemented a series of cases against media workers and human rights defenders, convicted by Western and international advocacy groups.
In Belarus, mass protests have continued for more than half a year against the results of the presidential elections on August 9, which were declared the winners by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has led the country since 1994. The opposition and western democracies they see those choices as rigged.
The Minsk regime began to quell these demonstrations with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. These actions by the security forces claimed the lives of several people. Thousands of people were found behind bars and hundreds more say they were tortured in custody.
The European Union has condemned Bandarenko’s death and the repression of protesters by imposing sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies.
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