The Supreme Court has examined in absentia the appeal against the sentence given to the Leanid Sudalenka, the Salidarnast e.V. lawyer. The panel of judges presided by Dina Kuchuk decided to reject the appeal and leave the sentence unchanged.
In June 2024, Leanid Sudalenka, a well-known union lawyer who headed the Homyel branch of the Human Rights Center “Vyasna”, was sentenced to five years in a high security prison and a fine in the amount of 650 basic reference units (about BYN 26,000.00).
The trial of Sudalenko started in absentia on June 17, 2024, in the Homyel Regional Court, following a new criminal case opened against him in the notorious special procedure format in November 2023. The court examined charges under Articles 361-4 Part 1 and Part 2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code – “abetting extremist activities”. The presiding judge was Anatolyi Sotnikau.
You will remember that on November 03, 2021, Leanid was sentenced to three years in a medium-security prison. Having served his term in full, the human rights defender was released on July 21, 2023, and left the country. Leanid Sudalenka left Belrus, yet he continued his activities as a human rights defender abroad, stating that he would work towards the release of Belarusian political prisoners.
The Supreme Court has confirmed the earlier sentence, rejecting the appeal.
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