Two More Political Prisoners Sentenced for “Persistent Disobedience” in Penal Colonies

Belarus continues to open criminal cases against political prisoners under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (“persistent disobedience to prison administration”), the Viasna Human Rights Center writes.

According to human rights defenders, 54-year-old Siarhei Kanavalau, who was sentenced in 2022 to 15 years in prison for “preparing a terrorist act” and “inciting social hostility,” has had his sentence extended under this article for the second time. On April 17, 2026, a court at Penal Colony No. 14 in Novasady sentenced him to an additional two years. His total prison term now stands at 19 years. Before his arrest, Kanavalau worked at the Vitsyebsk signaling and communications division of the Belarusian Railway. According to security forces, he allegedly planned to disable systems ensuring railway traffic safety.

As reported by Homiel Viasna, 22-year-old Illia Veramiyeu from Homiel was also recently convicted under the same article in Babruisk. He is already serving a 6.5-year sentence for calls to resist at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Human rights defenders do not yet know what additional sentence he has received.

According to former political prisoners and human rights defenders, the practice of filing reports over fabricated violations that later become new criminal cases under Article 411 has turned into a mechanism for continually extending prison terms.