Three Belarusian ‘railway partisans’ given jail terms for trying to disrupt Russian military supply trains
During the detention, one of the convicts was injured by security forces (Photo:prisoners.spring96.org)
Three Belarusian activists who were arrested for allegedly damaging railways in the country to disrupt the transportation of Russian arms and troops to war-torn Ukraine have been sentenced on Feb. 10 on terrorism charges, human rights center Vyasna reported on Feb. 10.
All three activists come from the city of Babruysk. The first two – Dmitry Klimov and Vladimir Avramtsev – were sentenced to 22 years in prison, and Yevgeny Minkevich – to one-and-a-half years. Minkevich, on the basis of the amnesty law, was partially released from punishment for a period of one year. Given the time he spent in custody, his sentence is considered served.
The regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared that the men were “involved in the destruction of two relay boxes of a signal device near Osipovichi on March 28, 2022.”
According to human rights activists, during the operation, the security forces wounded Dmitry Klimov – he was shot in the leg.
The men were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, including an act of terrorism (Article 289 of the Criminal Code), deliberately rendering railway tracks unusable for the purpose of an act of terrorism (Article 309 of the Criminal Code) and treason against the state (Article 356).
Judge Igor Shvedov considered the case behind closed doors for two weeks, human rights activists said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Dmitry Klimov worked as a driver for several organizations and as a taxi driver in the past. He also worked in the Kalinkovichi Security Department from the beginning of 2017 to May 2018, and then as a police ensign until his dismissal in August. Dmitry is married and has a four-year-old daughter.
Another of the jailed men, 27-year-old Vladimir Avramtsev, studied at the Babruysk School of the Olympic Reserve and at BDATU. He wrestled and competed in grappling competitions — the Belarus Championship and the ADCC Belarus Open. Avramtsev worked as a trainer in the Babruysk fitness center.
Twenty-eight-year-old Yevgeny Minkevich, like Vladimir Avramtsev, graduated from the Olympic Reserve School – he studied at the Shamyakin State Medical University at the Faculty of Physical Education. He worked as an orderly in the Babruysk ambulance, as well as a taxi driver in various services.
Earlier, the Gomel Regional Court of Belarus, having considered the criminal case of Mozyr “railway partisans”, sentenced Sergei Plyashkun to 16 years in prison and Yuriy Selvych to 14 years. The trial was also held behind closed doors.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
