The Minsk City Court has sentenced human rights activist Anastasiya (Nasta) Loika to 7 years in prison, having found her guilty of “inciting hatred,” according to a report by Radio Liberty.
The trial was held behind closed doors, and no details of the process were reported to the public.
The official reason for the criminal investigation launched against the activist was a report authored by Loika titled “Persecution of anarchists, anti-fascists, leftists and social activists in Belarus (2017 - August 2018),” which provided a critical assessment of the Belarusian police.
Loika had previously served several administrative arrests. According to the Human Constanta project, Loika was interrogated by GUBOPiK officers and tasered during one such arrest.
GUBOPiK
The Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, is a Belarusian state security service accused of numerous acts of political repression, violence, and torture of the political opponents of Alexander Lukashenko's regime.