Belarusian singer Patrytsia Svitsina, who in 2020 refused to accept a scholarship from authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, citing her "moral principles," has been handed a parole-like sentence on a charge of "actively participating in actions that blatantly disrupt social order."
Judge Viktoria Shabunya of Minsk's central district on August 2 found Svitsina guilty of taking part in unsanctioned rallies in August 2020 against the official results of the presidential poll that handed victory to Lukashenka, who has led Belarus with an iron fist since 1994.
The judge then sentenced Svitsina to 2 1/2 years of so-called house arrest-like restrictions known as "home khimia."
The concept of "khimia" (chemistry) goes back to the late 1940s, when convicts were sent to work at dangerous facilities such as chemical factories and uranium mines while living in special nearby dormitories instead of being incarcerated in penitentiaries.
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In recent years, the modern definition of "home khimia" is derived from the Soviet-era system for parole-like sentences.
Earlier in May, Svitsina was shown on pro-government Telegram channels "confessing" to taking part in the mass protests in 2020, blocking public transportation operations, and publishing on social networks "negative information" about Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
In 2020, Svitsina, who was then a student of ethnology and folklore at Belarusian State University in Minsk, publicly rejected Lukashenka's scholarship offer amid an unprecedented crackdown on dissent over the election, which the opposition and many Western governments say was rigged.
Thousands were arrested and much of the opposition leadership was jailed or forced into exile during the anti-Lukashenka rallies in 2020. Several protesters have been killed and there have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Belarusian authorities have also shut down several NGOs and independent media outlets.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the crackdown.
