The latest EU sanctions package targets several individuals from the Lukashenko regime responsible for repression against Belarusians. Among those sanctioned by the EU is «Judge» Tatyana Shotik. We informed the relevant EU authorities of this individual's criminal activities in April 2023, which led to the imposition of personal sanctions, and we also shared this information with Belarusians.
Tatiana Shotik was involved in political repression before 2020. She started handling political cases before the 2020 elections: in 2019, she fined former presidential candidate Vladimir Neklyaev and activist Marina Adamovich for taking part in protests against integration with Russia.
Since the summer of 2020, the so-called «judge» has been regularly used for political repression. At least 200 people have been arrested on the basis of Shotik's rulings, and have spent a total of over 2,000 days in detention. «Judge Shotik issued several politically motivated verdicts against Belarusian citizens who opposed the war in Ukraine, the Lukashenko regime and the repression and violence of the security forces. She ignored the basic principles of a fair trial and blatantly deprived the «defendants» of their basic procedural rights.
As a judge in the Leningrad District Court in Minsk, Tatiana Shotik sentenced political prisoners and unlawfully imposed the following sentences:
Igor Karpitsky — 7 years of imprisonment in a high-security colony;
Vitaly Borisevich — 6 years of imprisonment;
Andrey Novitsky — 5 years and 4 months of imprisonment;
Alexander Nurdinov — 4 years of imprisonment;
Roman Kononovich — 4 years of imprisonment;
Igor Lednik — 3 years of imprisonment;
Ilya Pirozhkov — 3 years of imprisonment;
Yuri Senkov — 3 years of imprisonment;
Alexander Demyantsev — 3 years of restricted freedom with placement in an open-type correctional facility («probation period»);
Artyom Medvedsky — 3 years of «probation period»;
Sergey Kravchuk — 3 years of «probation period»;
Dmitry Taratynov — 2 years and 6 months of «probation period»;
Konstantin Zaremba — 2 years of imprisonment;
Anastasia Butkevich — 2 years of «probation period»;
Vladimir Melnik — 2 years of «probation period»
And this is only a small list of those whom Shotik has managed to sentence.
On 5 August 2024, the European Union imposed sanctions against Tatiana Shotik, stating: "Tatiana Shotik is a judge who has been working at the Leningrad District Court of Minsk since 2021, having been appointed by Alexander Lukashenko. She has handed down politically motivated sentences against Belarusian citizens who have spoken out against the president and the brutality of Belarusian police. Igor Lednik, a political prisoner whom Shotik sentenced to three years in prison, died on 20 February 2024. Thus, Tatiana Shotik is responsible for serious human rights violations or repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Belarus".
Like all other individuals sanctioned by the EU, Shotik is banned from entering the European Union or transiting through EU countries. We understand that this is the minimum punishment for the shattered lives and destinies of people, including those caused by Tatiana Shotik. But it is another step towards real justice and retribution.
The responsibility for crimes against Belarusians will reach everyone involved in these actions.
Comments