Minsk district court passed a guilty verdict in the criminal case of Aleh Harmazinski, a software specialist from Sennitsa, spring96.org reports.
The verdict was announced on October 13, but human rights activists have not learned the details of the trial until now.
Harmazinski was detained on June 24 in Stoubtsy district and placed in a temporary detention centre for three days. Then he was released under a written pledge not to leave the country. The man was charged with ‘insulting the president’ (Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Belarus).
According to the prosecution, Aleh Harmazinski posted several ‘insulting messages’ on the Telegram channel My Country Belarus on 18 November 2020, on 18 January, on 23 March 2021. His comments allegedly contained negative assessments of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Judge Alyaksei Krapachou sentenced the defendant to two years in a minimum security penal colony.
Aleh Harmazinski, who is married and has a minor child, was taken into custody in the courtroom.
