Businessman Stanislau Kuzmitski Jailed For 15 Years

• 7.11.2022, 14:28

The sentence was delivered by Judge Yauhen Khatkevich.

Stanislau Kuzmitski, a Minsk businessman, was sentenced on November 3 to 15 years of imprisonment in a reinforced-security regime penal colony. He was accused of administering more than 30 Telegram chats, in particular the “97” chats, reports Dissidentby.

The Minsk Municipal Court began considering the criminal case of the 36-year-old businessman on September 15.

The proceedings were held by Judge Yauhen Khatkevich.

According to Viasna HRC, Stanislau Kuzmitski was accused under six articles of the Criminal Code, namely:

Part 1 of Article 293 — riots;

Part 1 of Article 290-4 — creation of an organization for the implementation of terrorist activities or participation in it;

Part 1 of Article 361-1 — creation of an extremist formation or participation in it;

Part 1 of Article 342 — organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation thereof;

Part 3 of Article 361 — calls for restrictive measures (sanctions), other actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus;

Part 3 of Article 130 — inciting racial, national, religious or other social discord or enmity.

Kuzmitski was detained at the end of December 2021, and was held in custody in the pre-trial detention center #1 in Minsk until the trial.

The KGB of Belarus put him on the list of persons involved in terrorist activities.

According to the materials of the investigation, Kuzmitski, “having perverted values and a false understanding of the word “patriotism,” purposefully joined a terrorist organization and headed certain resources of the “97” network. He administered more than 30 chats > The man formed the composition of extremist communities, assigned roles and organized the participation of their members in protests. In addition, he took measures to unite and increase the number of communities: he morally supported them in private conversations, organized joint leisure activities, distributed propaganda products, applied drawings and inscriptions of an extremist nature on the facades of buildings.”

The investigation claims that he “personally participated in such illegal actions six times”.