Originally published Dec 26th, 2022
Belarusian Olympic medalist and outspoken activist Aliaksandra Herasimenia was sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia on Monday.
Herasimenia, 36, was found guilty on multiple charges, including “calls for sanctions” and other actions “aimed at harming the national security” of Belarus. Her apartment and car were seized by the government along with $48,000 in her bank accounts.
A three-time Olympic medalist at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, Herasimenia also co-founded the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) with Alexander Opeikin, who was dealt a 12-year prison sentence on Monday as well. Their foundation offered financial and legal support to athletes targeted by president Alexander Lukashenko and other Belarusian authorities.
Two years ago, BSSF called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the Belarusian Olympic committee for Olympic charter breaches during violent protests in the country following Lukashenko’s disputed reelection in August of 2020. Last year, the foundation helped cancel international tournaments including the European Track Championships, the Ice Hockey World Championship, and World Modern Pentathlon Championships that Belarus was slated to host.
Earlier this year amid the Russian military attacks in Ukraine, Herasimenia fled her home for Poland with her 3-year-old daughter, mother and husband, fellow Olympic swimmer Yauhen Tsurkin. A few months later, Lukashenko signed a new law giving courts the power to prosecute Belarusians who had fled the country. Herasimenia was not present for the trial this month held behind closed doors.
According to the human rights group Viasna, 1,439 political prisoners are currently behind bars in Belarus.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who’s living in Lithuania while fighting her legal battle, tweeted out her condemnation of the sentences handed out to Herasimenia and Opeikin on Monday.
“Shameful!.. This is how the regime tries to punish its opponents in exile,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “The regime can’t get to them, but their property in Belarus was seized, including a car (and) an apartment.”
Shameful! Aliaksandra Herasimenya & Aliaksandr Apeikin were sentenced to 12 years in prison. The regime can't get to them, but their property in Belarus was seized, including a car & an apartment. This is how the regime tries to punish its opponents in exile. https://t.co/32xKOYzLFh
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) December 26, 2022
In 2003, at 17 years old, Herasimenia, already a multi-time European Championship medalist, was given a four-year suspension for anti-doping rules violations, which was later reduced to two years. She would return to represent her country at three consecutive Olympic Games: 2008, 2012, and 2016. At the London 2012 Olympics, Herasimenia won two silver medals, swimming the 50 and 100 freestyle events. She later won a bronze medal in the 50 free at the 2016 Rio Olympics before retiring in 2019.
Where is the statement from World Aquatics? Turning a blind eye as usual?
They’re probably thinking “she’s retired, no need to comment”
Exactly. They are hardly proactive on any ethical matter
Thomas Bach responds with a mindless grin
World Aquatics Bureau responds by drinking gin
Hey SwimSwam, please set up a GoFundMe for her.
wow wtf
So do not consider Belarusians as aggressors. You can’t imagine how we are mocked and how we are persecuted in our country. The people elected another president, but the dictator has seized power by force and now he is taking revenge on the people.
The same scenario wasn’t too far from playing out in the United States. Held by a thread.
It really wasn’t that close.
Stop crying wolf.
The United States has it’s problems, but at the end of the day the vote was free, fair, and must be respected. That is an immense luxury, one which has been earned with the blood of those who fought for it.
That you can even freely caste doubt on our elections without any basis and you allowed to do so is a privilege that those in Belarus do not have. In fact they can plainly state the actual truth, and face the true persecution if the state for it.
Do not throw it all away because you’ve been misled with awful false equivalencies, lies told by men who simply just want power for themselves. Once… Read more »
This is an extension of Putinism too. Sad times in Europe for many people.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for her courage as an activist and political refugee, even if I can’t respect her as an athlete due to her doping history.
I dislike nothing more than a cheater, don’t get me wrong… but she was 17 when she got caught. No 17-y.o. goes out and says “I’m gonna get me some Nandrolone!”. It very likely wasn’t her choice.
horrible. Just horrible people.
Makes the “problems” that some American swimmers deal with seem a little insignificant.