Journalist and media manager Andrey Alyaksandrau has been accused of ‘tax evasion which caused large-scale damage’ (Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code).
On August 31 Alyaksandrau was recognised as a suspect, Naviny.by reports.
“He has refused to testify. He flatly denies his guilt,” the defence lawyer says.
Andrey Alyaksandrau and his girlfriend Iryna Zlobina were arrested on January 12 as suspects in a criminal case initiated under Article 342-2 (‘organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, financing or other support of such activity’).
The couple ‘financed the protest actions that took part in the mass riots, including by paying fines and receipts for detention in isolation wards’, the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed. According to them, Alyaksandrau and Zlobina paid more than 250 fines imposed on the detainees in ‘protest’ cases; they got the lists and funds from the solidarity foundation BY_Help.
On the back of the arrest, the Belarusian human rights community assessed the persecution of Alyaksandrau and Zlobina as ‘politically motivated and aimed at stopping their activities to help the victims of political repressions’ and declared them political prisoners.
In March, it became known that the prison authorities placed Andrey Alyaksandrau and Iryna Zlobina on the preventive register as ‘persons prone to extremist and destructive actions’. Jailed Belsat TV journalists Katsyaryna Andreyeva, Darya Chultsova, politician Pavel Sevyarynets found themselves in the same situation.
In late June, the journalist was charged with high treason (Article 356-1 of the Criminal Code).
belsat.eu
