Maryna Zolatava
14 May 2024
Maryna Zolatava, TUT.BY editor-in-chief, behind bars since 18 May 2021
The permanent (since 2004) editor-in-chief of TUT.BY, Maryna Zolatava, was arrested on 18 May 2021 along with 14 other defendants in the «TUT.BY case». She was accused of complicity in large-scale tax evasion.
All in all, 15 TUT.BY staff members were remanded, including the editorial staff, whose work is not connected with the economic activity of the company, tax payment, or legal aspects. The TUT.BY website was blocked for publishing «information prohibited by law.»
On 9 January 2023, the trial began in Minsk City Court and was held in camera. The verdict was announced on March 17.
Human rights activists declared Zolatava a political prisoner.
Sentence: 12 years of imprisonment under Part 2 of Article 243 (grand tax evasion); Part 3 of Article 130 (incitement of racial, national, religious, or other social hatred); Part 3 of Article 361 (encouraging actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus).
Judge: Valiantsina Ziankevich
Public prosecutor: Tatsiana Hrakun
Birthday: 6 November 1977
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