Supreme Court upholds sentence of Ales Marchanka convicted for cooperation with Belsat TV
On June 4, the Supreme Court considered the appeal of Ales Marchanka, who was sentenced to prison. The appeal was dismissed by Judge Aliaksei Khlyshchankou.
Videographer Ales Marchanka. Photo: Ales Marchanka’s Facebook page
The criminal case under Part 3 of Article 361–1 of the Criminal Code (participation in an extremist group) was considered in the Minsk City Court. The trial against former Belsat TV channel employee Ales Marchanka commenced on March 25, 2024.
A week later, on April 2, Judge Sviatlana Makarevich delivered a guilty verdict, sentencing Marchenko to three years of imprisonment.
Ales (Aliaksandr) Marchanka was arrested by police officers on October 19, 2023. He was subsequently detained for two periods of 15 days each. Human rights activists know that the second of these detentions was imposed by the Centralny District Court of Minsk on November 3. Judge Yuliana Shcherba found Marchanka guilty of distributing extremist materials. While the individual was in detention, law enforcement officials identified grounds for a criminal case.
On March 28, 2024, the Belarusian human rights community recognized Ales Marchanka as a political prisoner.
It is known that back in November 2018, Ales Marchanka was contacted by KGB officers. He was invited to a meeting, and if he did not comply, he was informed that the situation would be handled in a less agreeable manner. On the same day, plainclothes officers visited Marchanka’s residence, but he was out. His wife was instructed to give him another invitation for a “talk,” but the visitors left no summons.
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