21 January 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka provided pro-bono counselling to relatives of inmates near the Okrestina pre-trial detention centre during the most tense period in 2020, and participated in the Belarusian public debate.<\/p>\n Anastasiya Lazarenka was arrested in early June 2022 on charges of \u201cincitement to hatred\u201d, allegedly for leaking personal data to a Telegram channel.<\/p>\n She was placed in pre-trial detention in March 2023, and learned that she had also been charged with organising an \u201cunauthorised mass event\u201d in August 2020, when she was providing free legal advice to inmates\u2019 families.<\/p>\n Anastasiya Lazarenka pleaded not guilty throughout the trial. However, on 11 May 2023, she was sentenced by the Minsk City Court to six years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/strong><\/p>\n In November 2023, Anastasiya Lazarenka was placed on the Belarusian Ministry of the Interior\u2019s \u201clist of extremists\u201d and the KGB\u2019s \u201clist of terrorists\u201d.<\/p>\n In November, Lazarenka was transferred from Remand Centre No. 1 to Penal Colony No. 4, where she continues to serve her sentence.<\/p>\n On this International Day for Lawyers in Danger, we call for the immediate release of lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka.<\/p>\n #ProtectBelarusianLawyers #BelarusLegalFreedom<\/p>\n Further information about the lawyer: https:\/\/prisoners.spring96.org\/en\/person\/anastasija-lazarenka<\/a><\/p>\n