Belarusian Educator, Family, Friends Handed Parole-Like Sentences Over 2020 Protests

Yauhen Livyant and others in court

A court in Minsk on May 25 handed parole-like sentences to noted Belarusian educator Yauhen Livyant, his wife Yulia, daughters Halina and Hanna, son-in-law Mikita Drozd, and his associates Alyaksey Ivanov and Alyaksandra Ensayn (aka Vilchytskaya). The defendants went on trial on May 19 on charges related to mass rallies over a disputed August 2020 presidential election that kept authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power. Judge Katsyaryna Murashka of the Moscow district court found the defendants guilty of organizing and preparing actions that blatantly disrupt social order. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.