Baranavichy Trucker, namesake of the German Chancellor, Sentenced for "Preparation to Organize Mass Riots"
33-year-old Artsiom Merkel traveled on trucks to China and Mongolia, but his trips were cut short by a criminal case.
Artsiom Merkel was born in 1993. He is from Baranavichy.
The young man started in the construction industry: he received a secondary specialized education, worked as an installer of ventilated facades, and was involved in processing marble and granite. However, over time, the Belarusian linked his life with automobile cargo transportation.
Later, Merkel got a job as an international driver in Russia. Artsiom carried out long trips along complex eastern routes: he regularly transported goods through Russian checkpoints to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.
The young man was detained this year. The Moskovsky District Court of Brest sentenced Artsiom Merkel under Part 1 of Article 13 and Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code — preparation for the organization of mass riots.
He faced five to fifteen years in a penal colony. As with most political cases, nothing is known about the trial of driver Merkel or the exact verdict.
UPD. After the publication of the material, we received information from a reader that Artsiom Merkel was sentenced to seven years of enhanced regime. We cannot verify this information.
Mass political repressions in the country began after 2020. At that time, Aliaksandr Lukashenka lost to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya but did not hand over power to her, forcing her to leave the country. Mass popular protests against the dictatorship and election fraud occurred. The authorities responded with repressions.
According to calculations by the "Belpol" security forces association and human rights defenders, the names of at least 10,050 people who faced politically motivated criminal cases are known. In total, various political repressions (criminal cases, administrative charges, dismissals, searches, forced emigration) have affected hundreds of thousands of Belarusians.
The Belarusian authorities consider "extremism" to be the demand for free elections with a transparent vote count, as well as virtually any criticism of the authorities, pro-Russian historical narratives, expressions of solidarity with Ukraine, and anti-war speeches.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
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