Members of the Presidium of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian Opposition Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak were sentenced by the court to 11 and 10 years in prison, respectively. This decision was made on Monday by the Minsk Regional Court, a TASS correspondent reports from the scene.

“On the aggregate of crimes, by partial addition of punishments, impose a sentence of imprisonment: Znak – for a term of 10 years with serving in a correctional colony under a high security regime, Kolesnikova – for a term of 11 years with serving a sentence in a correctional colony under a general regime”, – said the judge presiding at the trial.

In including those addressed to a foreign state, foreign and international organization, committed using the media and the Internet.

The judge announced that the verdict did not come into legal force and could be appealed and protested in the judicial collegium for criminal cases of the Supreme Court of Belarus. According to one of the defendants’ lawyers, the defense will appeal the verdict of the regional court. “Of course,” the lawyer said in response to a related question.

Defense position

Representatives of the defense of Maxim Znak and Maria Kolesnikova consider the conviction against their clients illegal and will appeal it to the Supreme Court, lawyer Yevgeny Pylchenko told reporters.

“A verdict was issued against Maxim Znak and Maria Kolesnikova, they were sentenced to 10 years in prison and 11 years in prison, respectively. This sentence is illegal and unfounded, it is not based on evidence. During the proceedings, neither their guilt was confirmed, nor even the commission of those crimes that were charged to them, “the lawyer said.

“Naturally, the defense will appeal against this verdict, appeals will be filed within ten days. I think our clients themselves will file complaints,” Pylchenko said. According to him, “there was no extremist entity, no one called for the commission of actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus.”

“There were no such actions. Accordingly, there were no crimes or even socially dangerous acts. Therefore, the verdict cannot be lawful and justified,” the defense representative said.

Cases against Kolesnikova and Znak

Kolesnikova was detained on the night of September 7-8 last year. On September 16, she was charged with publicly calling for the seizure of state power or forcibly changing the constitutional order of Belarus. Then, in February of this year, the case was charged under two more articles of the Criminal Code – conspiracy to seize power and create an extremist group.

Znak was detained on September 9 last year, he was charged with calls for actions aimed at causing harm to national security. In December, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened two new criminal cases against members of the Coordination Council on the facts of the creation and leadership of an extremist group, financing of its activities and a conspiracy to seize state power. On February 10, Znak was also charged under these articles.