More than 7 years in prison for comments from a 68-year-old pensioner; a politically motivated sentence for a mother of five; a refusal to reconsider a case, which became "deadly" for political prisoner Nikolai Klimovich; over fifty politically motivated court rulings; a politically motivated sentence for a mother and father from a large family; a prison sentence for a 54-year-old woman for a sad "smiley" on a post about Lukashenko on social media. Dozens of years of imprisonment for ordinary Belarusians — for our relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances...
Behind all these cases, behind every illegal decision, there are the names of specific perpetrators. The individuals who handed down illegal sentences, hiding behind judicial robes and the status of "judge" — in their case, the status of a so-called judge. Today, we will name some of these people. We, the NAM’s team, will send them a clear message — no one will forget their crimes and the broken lives. And for every illegal decision, for every politically motivated sentence, responsibility will inevitably follow.
Today we remind you of the "judges":
Vera Vyacheslavovna Filonik — no less than 73 politically motivated decisions, including 40 political sentences in just 1 year — she even sentenced children. She sentenced a woman for a video of military equipment, and sent a 68-year-old disabled man to his death;
Anastasia Pavlovna Popko — no less than 85 politically motivated decisions, sentences of decades for activists, mothers of large families, and independent trade union leaders;
Irina Ramizovna Lantcheva — no less than 51 politically motivated court rulings, including a sentence for a mother of three children — 4.5 years in prison for "insulting" Lukashenko and aiding so-called extremist activities;
Irina Vasilyevna Pradun — no less than 21 politically motivated decisions, a judge who "sentences" for "likes." Two years in prison for comments on social media, one year for a sad "smiley" under a post about Lukashenko;
Gennady Alexandrovich Mazaylo — no less than 20 politically motivated court rulings, including sentences for workers of "Grodno Azot".
These people destroy the lives of the innocent. They take away freedom, health, and sometimes — lives. They issue sentences that divide families, silence the voices of people who oppose the arbitrariness and lawlessness in Belarus. Their work is politically motivated persecution.
These "judges" think they will be able to remain unpunished. They hope their crimes will go unnoticed. And if they are noticed, they can justify themselves by saying they were simply following orders.
No, such justifications will not pass. And no, they will be remembered. Today, their cases are under development by our team. We will do everything to ensure these individuals are added to the sanctions lists.
The dossiers on 40 judges, including the "figures" in our video, have been submitted by the NAM team for inclusion in the upcoming EU sanctions packages. Preparing dossiers on these individuals with substantiated illegal actions they are responsible for is an essential part of our work. Since sanctions are imposed by law-abiding states, clear justification is required for sanctions. The dossiers prepared by the NAM team contain evidence of repressive actions.
"Sanctions are just the first step. It must be understood: any legal decision is based on evidence — individuals are not added to the list by order, this is the result of NAM's diligent work in gathering evidence, preparing and submitting documents and confirmations to the institutions that impose sanctions. Sanctions dossiers on judges involved in politically motivated persecution are meticulously and thoroughly collected testimonies. Each figure has their own case. And these cases are a foundation for the future. In the future, they will be used for criminal proceedings", —said Pavel Latushka.
All those involved should remember: today — sanctions, tomorrow — criminal cases. Justice will catch up with the guilty.
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