20-Year-Old Political Prisoner Sentenced To 6.5 Years Of Imprisonment In Hrodna

• 14.11.2022, 12:57

Siarhei Rabtsau was tried in the Zeltser case.

Twenty-year-old resident of Hrodna Siarhei Rabtsau was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for making comments on the Internet in connection with the "Zelzer case". This was reported by the Viasna human rights center.

Siarhei Rabtsau was detained on September 30, 2021, along with hundreds of other Belarusians, for commenting on the deaths of IT specialist Andrei Zeltser and KGB officer Fedosyuk in a shootout in Minsk. The guy then just recently turned 19 years old.

The young man was charged for his statements under several articles of the Criminal Code: Part 1 of Article 368 ("insulting Lukashenka"), Part 1 of Article 367 ("slander against Lukashenka"), Part 1 of Article 130 ("inciting hatred"), Article 369 ("insulting the security officials"). In addition, Siarhei was accused of participating in "mass riots" (Part 1 of Article 293).

It is unknown what specific actions the young man was charged with. The trial was held from October 24 in the Homel regional court, there is practically no information about it. The verdict was handed down on November 4. Judge Mikalai Rachynski found Siarhei Rabtsau guilty and, based on the totality of the articles, sentenced him to six and a half years in prison.