Belarus Sentences Serviceman To 18 Years For High Treason

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2021) The Supreme Court of Belarus has sentenced a former serviceman to 18 years in prison for high treason, the prosecutor general's office said on Friday.

Capt. Dzianis Urad was detained in March while on duty as a special liaison officer of the Armed Forces' General Staff. He was indicted for treason after sending an opposition Telegram channel a secret letter from the interior minister to the defense chief.

"By the verdict of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus, Urad D.M., born in 1991, was found guilty of treason committed by a person who is subject to the status of a soldier," the prosecutor general's office wrote on its Telegram channel.

Taking into account the evidence presented by the state prosecutor, the high degree of public danger of what the former serviceman did, and the consequences harming national security, Urad "was sentenced to a strict penalty of imprisonment for a term of 18 years with the deprivation of the military rank of captain," the office added.

The verdict has already entered into legal force, according to the statement.