Two political prisoners were denied pardon. These are Zhlobin residents Vitaly Prokhorov and Siarhei Bekarevich, human rights activists report.
Vitaly Prokhorov was a minor at the time of sentencing. He was convicted on the events of the night of August 9-10 in Zhlobin together with Siarhei Bekarevich and Dzmitry Hopta (a political prisoner suffering from mental retardation). Bekarevich was sentenced to 2,5 years in prison, Hopta and Prokhorov – to two years.
Alexander Lukashenka signed an order to pardon 13 people in September 2021, the list did not include Hopta, Prokhorov and Bekarevich. In the autumn, Yury Voskresensky, the head of the KSDS [Round Table of Democratic Forces – ed.], stated that a second list of «recommended for pardon» had been drawn up under the guarantees of Voskresensky himself and the Round Table. Relatives of Dmitry Hopta hoped that the young man would be released, but he was refused pardon, despite the promises of representatives of the KSDS.
Source: Reform.by
