Belarus adds 1 year to imprisoned opposition activist’s sentence

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus on Tuesday sentenced an imprisoned opponent of hardline President Alexander Lukashenko to an additional year behind bars for disobeying prison officials.

Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk was arrested in 2021 during the crackdown on opposition that began after nationwide demonstrations broke out to protest the results of the disputed 2020 election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office.

Sharenda-Panasyuk initially was convicted of insulting the president and assaulting a police officer. Prior to Tuesday’s verdict, her sentence had been extended by two years for disobeying prison guards. It was not immediately clear when she’s now expected to be released.

She has pancreatitis and chronic back pain and has reported harsh conditions in prison, with inmates sleeping on metal slabs without mattresses or bedding.

“The new sentence sounds like a death sentence, because Palina physically may not be able to withstand another circle of hell,” her husband, Andrei Sharenda, told The Associated Press.

Representatives of European Union nations traveled to her trial in the town of Rechitsa. The German Embassy in a statement said “the mother of two minor children, despite having already served a prison sentence, is forced to appear before the court again, which demonstrates the ruthlessness of the Belarusian regime toward dissidents.”

Lukashenko has consistently suppressed opposition and independent news media since coming to power in 1994. The human rights organization Viasna counts nearly 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, including its Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder Ales Bialiatski.