The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) calls the case of Mykhailo Ferents, a Ukrainian convicted in Belarus, politically motivated, and demands the release of a citizen of Ukraine, the ministry’s press service said.
The Foreign Ministry said that on September 20 the Zavodsky District Court of Minsk passed a verdict on Ukrainian citizen Ferents.
“The Ukrainian was sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly participating in actions that grossly violate public order and intentionally damaging property. At the same time, the seven months that the Ukrainian had already served in the Belarusian pretrial detention facility were not counted in the total sentence,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The MFA said no reliable evidence of the guilt of a citizen of Ukraine was presented in court: “Mykhailo Ferents does not admit his guilt and plans to appeal through a lawyer. The well-known Belarusian human rights center Viasna has recognized him as a political prisoner.”
“We consider the case of Mykhailo Ferents politically motivated, and the verdict unjust and unlawful. The unsubstantiated accusation and unlawful conviction of a citizen of Ukraine are the next manifestations of the anti-Ukrainian actions of Minsk,” the ministry said.
“We demand the immediate release of Ukrainian citizen Mykhailo Ferents. We will continue to protect his interests by all available means,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry once again calls on the authorities in Belarus to stop repressions against citizens, return to the path of democratic development of the country, release all political prisoners and start an inclusive dialogue with the involvement of all layers of Belarusian society.
