56-year-old official from Beshankovichy sentenced under five political articles at once
Halina Ustsyuhava worked in state structures for a long time: from the head of the land management service to a specialist in the statistics department. Recently, the woman was put on trial.
Halina Ustsyuhava. Photo: gztzara.by
Halina Ustsyuhava was born in November 1969. In 1992, she graduated from Polotsk State University with a degree in 'Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry'.
For a long time, the woman worked in the state apparatus of Beshankovichy district in the Vitebsk region. In the 2000s, she was the secretary of the Ulski Village Council. By 2018, she headed the local land management service. Later, Ustsyuhava worked as a survey specialist in the district statistics department, and the management praised her as a reliable and competent employee.
On social media, Ustsyuhava called for the use of the Belarusian language and recorded her voice for the project 'The Belarusian language needs donors'.
Halina was detained this year. As a result, the case was heard in the Minsk City Court. The woman was sentenced under five articles of the Criminal Code at once: for facilitating extremist activity (Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361‑4 of the Criminal Code), participation in an extremist formation (Part 3 of Article 361-1), inciting hatred (Part 1 of Article 130), discrediting Belarus (Article 369-1), and calls to harm Belarus (Part 3 of Article 361).
Halina was sentenced to a penal colony or 'chemistry' (restricted freedom with forced labor) with referral — she never reappeared online on social media.