Lukashenko's regime imprisons two more "rail partisans"

The Gomel Oblast Court in Belarus has sentenced two more "railway partisans", Sergei Plyashkun and Yury Selvych, to long-lasting prison terms.

Source: Radio Liberty Belarus

Details: The trial was held behind closed doors. 

Selvych was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment, Plyashkun - to 16 years.

34-year-old Serhiy Pleshkun and 45-year-old Yuriy Selvych were detained in March 2022. At that time, Belarusian television released a story, according to which the residents of city of Mazyr were being watched by the KGB employees. Sergei and Yury discussed the possibility of obstructing the movement of Russian military equipment by rail in the garage of one of the detainees. They were eventually charged under seven articles, including terrorism and extremism.

According to the case materials, Plyashkun and Selvych allegedly purchased components for the production of Molotov cocktails and pyrotechnic products, which were stored and transported in various vehicles and places to be used later, during the period from August 2020 to February 2022. 

They were also accused of having painted drawings and inscriptions on a fence and a sign near one of the businesses in the Mazyr District.

According to the Belarusian security forces, empty bottles, saltpetre, a bat, and an air pistol were seized from the detainees during the search. It is claimed that the convicts could prepare Molotov cocktails.

One of the detainees, 44-year-old Yury Selvych, is married and has three children. Two adult sons were in the army at the time of Selvych's arrest, one after graduating from the university served in Marjina Horka. The family also has a 10-year-old adopted daughter. According to  his acquaintances, Yurii was self-employed, working as a repairman.

"He took an active part in the protests that took place in Mazyr after the elections. According to 23.34 [a local outlet – ed ], Selvych was detained twice; once it was "round-the-clock detention", and the second time, he was fined. Yury helped the relatives of political prisoners financially", a friend of the accused explained.

Serhiy Plyashkun has a wife and two children. One of his son is studying in the first grade, the second is not even a year old yet. Plyashkun's wife is on maternity leave.

Plyashkun worked as a sales agent.

Background:

• The Gomel Oblast Court has sentenced residents of Svietlahorsk, the "rail partisans", to long terms for damage to the relay cabinet on the railway in December 2022. Denis Dikun has been sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment, Dmitrii Ravich to 22 years, and Oleg Molchanov to 21 years. They are all connected to each other. The men were accused of setting fire to a relay box on the railway.
• Vitalii Melnyk has been sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment on several criminal charges. According to the case file, Melnyk set fire to an automatic block signal system relay box on the night of 24-25 March 2022, at the Novosady-Barysaw railway line, as a result of which its devices and elements became unusable. 22 cargo and 17 passenger trains were delayed. The Belarusian was shot in the knee joints during the detention. He still moves on crutches.
• Currently, the criminal case of the Babruysk "railway partisans" is being considered in Mogilev. Dmytri Klimov, Vladimir Avramtsev, and Yevgeny Minkevych are accused of destroying two relay cabinets of the signal installation on the railway near the city of Asipovichy. The young men were detained on the night of 29-30 March 2022.
• Vladimir Avramtsev was injured during the detention by security forces. The citizens of Babruysk are charged under five articles of the Criminal Code. 

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