Convicted Belsat TV journo Katsyaryna Andreyeva transferred to Mahiliou detention centre
On May 19, journalist Ihar Ilyash, the husband of our imprisoned collegue Katsyaryna Andreyeva, was informed that his wife was being held in the pre-trial detention centre in Mahiliou.
Over the past two months, Belsat TV contributors Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova have been held in the remand prison in Zhodzina. In late April, Minsk City Court rejected their appeals, upholding the sentences imposed on them; the girls are to be transported to women’s penal colony in the city of Homiel.
“The transfer [from the prison in Zhodzina] was expected to take place on the night of May 18, but we did not know for sure whether they would be taken directly to the colony in Homiel or via Mahiliou,” he said.
There is still no exact information of the whereabouts of another imprisoned colleague, Darya Chultsova. It is not ruled out that the girls were transferred together. It is unknown how long the journalists will be staying in Mahiliou; it may be a couple of days or a couple of weeks.
The two Belsatters have been behind bars for over ten months.
They were arrested on November 15 for broadcasting live a violent dispersal of a rally in memory of murdered protester Raman Bandarenka and the destruction of a national memorial in the so called Square of Change by security forces. They were filming and commenting on what was going on from the apartment on the 14th floor of the house on Smarhouski Trakt Street in Minsk, where they had been invited by the hosts. After the rally, armed riot police broke the door to the apartment and detained the crew. On November 20, they were charged under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order).
Their case was considered in Frunzenski district court of Minsk within three days in February. The investigators claim the Belsat crew ‘coordinated protesters and called for further actions’, but the two media workers were just performing their professional duties by reporting from the scene. Moreover, in accordance with the authorities’ version, the livestream of the journalists resulted in the stoppage of 13 buses, 3 trolleybuses and 3 streetcar routes as well as the damage to the city transport agency Minsktrans (around 11,562 rubles). Public prosecutor Alina Kasyanchyk demanded the girls serve a two-year prison term each and their working equipment be confiscated in profit of the state. The defence lawyers asked the court to acquit the defendants due to the lack of evidence, but judge Natallya Buhuk took heed of the prosecution’s opinion.
On November 24, Belarusian human rights watchdogs recognised Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova as political prisoners.
