Brest activist, mother of two Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk sentenced to 2 years in prison
On June 7, the trial of local activist Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk started in Maskouski district court of Brest.
The woman was arrested in her own apartment five months ago. She was charged under three articles of the Criminal Code: Art. 368 (‘insulting president’), Art. 369 (‘insulting a representative of the authorities’) and Art. 364 (‘violence or threat of violence against a police officer’).
On January 3, the police knocked down the door, raided Sharendas’ place and seized a number of things. At that moment, her husband Andrey was serving a term for participating in a protest rally in November; Palina was detained and taken to the remand prison in handcuffs.
In late February, Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk was taken to the so-called Navinki from the local detention facility on February, 23. According to her husband, she was forced to undergo a forensic psychiatric examination at the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Mental Health in Navinki residential area in Minsk.
In March, she managed to pass a letter from pre-trial detention centre Nr 7, in which she wrote about prisoners’ putting to torture.
Public prosecutor Pavel Krupenich demanded the defendant get 2 years of imprisonment. On Wednesday, judge Yauhen Brehan has taken heed of the demand and imposed such sentence on the mother of two minor children.
Prosecutor Krupenich and judge Brehan used to work in Baranavichy, but now they are taking an active part in political trials in Brest.
