Two convicts in 'roundhouse case' brutally detained while trying to escape to Ukraine
Both were fined 4,000 BYN and sentenced to freedom restriction.
On August 12, the state TV channel ONT published a video showing camouflage-clad fighters brutally detaining two people on the border, beating them already on the ground and “interrogating” them on camera with their hands broken. The HRC “Viasna” human rights activists from Brest recognized the detainees.
They are Brest residents Andrei Aniskevich and Ilya Palkhouski. They were sentenced to 1.5 and 2 years of freedom restriction (“chemistry”) in the “roundhouse case,” respectively. They are currently being transported to serve their sentence. They have also been fined 4.060 BYN for attempting to cross the border illegally.
Meanwhile, according to the Lithuanian side, Belarusian border guards ignore illegal migrants on the border with Lithuania. The other night, a man, whom the Lithuanians call a Belarusian border guard, crossed illegally right under the camera.
As of today, 69 people have already been convicted in the “roundhouse case.” They are being punished because people were dancing at the crossroads during the rally on September 13, 2020.
Aniskevich and Palkhouski are not on the list of political prisoners from the Belarusian human rights defenders. The list does not include those who have not yet begun to serve their sentences. However, the defendants in the “roundhouse case” are included in the list, as the case itself is considered politically motivated.
