Belarusian authorities set to sentence girl who wanted to help injured protesters
On April 1, a Minsk court heard the criminal case involving political prisoner Alyaksandra Patrasayeva.
The 21-year-old is accused of active participation in mass riots (Part 2 Article 293 of the Criminal Code). The case was heard by judge Volha Malashanka, the prosecution side is represented by the assistant prosecutor of Maskouski district Fyodar Sinitski. Alyaksandra pleaded not guilty.
At the hearing of 1 April, the state prosecutor asked for three years of freedom restriction at home and compulsory psychological treatment for Patrasayeva. In its turn, Minsktrans sued her for more than 21 thousand rubles as compensation for the interruption of traffic near the shopping center Riga on the night of August 11th.
The next court hearing is scheduled for April 6.
Who is Alyaksandra Patrasayeva?
The 21-year-old Alyaksandra was born in Vileika district. She became an orphan at the age of 6, was brought up in Churlinski educational and pedagogical complex and lived in foster families. The girl worked in Minsk as an advertising agent.
Alyaksandra Patrasayeva was detained on the night of August 11th at the Institute of Culture metro station. That evening the girl was helping the victims of law enforcement in the area of the Riga supermarket. She was kept in the detention center on Akrestsina Street for three days. She told about tortures: beatings, humiliations, insults, threats to rape. According to Alyaksandra, she was forced to undress and stand up for stretching, she was beaten by a woman. She came out of the jail with broken legs and torn ligaments. She was put in a cast.
The girl was repeatedly detained on 16 October already within the framework of the criminal case. The human rights activists recognized Alyaksandra as a political prisoner.
So far the harshest punishment for women charged in political cases has been 2.5 years in jail. It was given to the Swiss citizen Natallia Hershe for pulling off a balaclava from a riot policeman.
According to human rights defenders, there are at least 141 politically motivated criminal cases against women in Belarus. At least 49 women remain behind bars or under house arrest. Ten of them have been sentenced to real terms of imprisonment, while the rest are awaiting trial.
belsat.eu
