Mark Bernshtein

Wikipedia editor, sentenced to 3 years of home arrest

Former prisoner

Date of birth: 19 August 1965

Date of detention: 11 March 2022

Charges indicted:

  • Art. 342 of the Criminal Code — Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them

Sentence: 3 years

Penalty: restricted freedom under home confinement ("domashnyaya khimiya")

Judge: Anastasiya Osipchyk

Groups: Businessmen, Cultural workers, IT specialists

Mark Bernshtein

Mark Bernshtein is an entrepreneur, IT specialist, and Wikipedia editor included in the list of top 50 editors of Russian Wikipedia. Since June 14, 2008, he has made more than 200,000 edits to various articles.

Mark was detained in early March 2022. Pro-government Telegram channels published a video recording of Bernstein's detention and accused him of spreading fake "anti-Russian" information. Mark then was sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention for “disobedience to a lawful order or demand of an official”, however, he was not released after his term was over. A criminal case has been brought against Bernstein under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order).

Mark's trial started on June 23, 2022. at the Zavadski District Court of Minsk. The next day Judge Anastasiya Asipchyk handed down her verdict: to sentence the political prisoner to three years of restriction of freedom under home confinement. It is known that at the trial Minsktrans brought a suit for ‘blocking’ the roads. It was taken to a separate civil proceeding.

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