A sentence in the case of Belarusian-born authors of Russian chauvinistic website will be delivered in February, 2.
On January 22, state prosecutor Alyaksandr Karol said that the guilt of the accused Dzmitry Alimkin, Yury Paulavets and Syarhei Shyptsenka was fully established. According to him, they admitted that they had written articles that could incite national hatred.
Alyaksandr Karol demands the trio be sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment with a three-year retriieve (Art. 130-3 of the Belarusian Criminal Code).
Belarusians Yury Paulavets (pennames Mikalay Radau and Pavel Yuryntsau),Dzmitry Alimkin (penname Alla Bron) and Syarhei Shyptsenka were detained in December, 2016. The Belarusian Investigative Committee initiated criminal cases under article 130 (inciting hatred) against them. Paulavets criticized the Belarusian authorities for their contribution to the ‘nationalism’ while Alimkin called Belarus a ‘mad pseudostate’. As for Shyptsenka, the ideas of the ‘artificial’ nature of Belarusian statehood and the need for ‘reunification’ with Russia run through his publications like a golden thread. The texts concerned were published on Russian websites Regnum, Lenta.ru, EADaily.
There is another defendant in the case – Yury Baranchyk, a former resident of Minsk, who was a mentor of the three men mentioned above. He used to Work in the Belarus presidential administration. Since 2007 — the head of the “Empire”information analytical portal. A few years ago, he left for Russia. He regularly writes articles for regnum.ru and slams Minsk for ‘forced Belarusization’.
In March, Yury Baranchyk was detained in Moscow at the request of Belarusian investigators, but then released on bail. A court in Moscow did not issue a warrant for his arrest saying that the accusations were groundless.
ІІ, belsat.eu
