She was a triple Olympic medalist and was sentenced to 12 years in prison: what happened to the Belarusian swimmer Herasimenia

The Belarusian Aliaksandra Herasimenia, triple Olympic medalist in swimming, was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison, accused of creating "an extremist formation" - the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund (FBSD) - and of calling for sanctions against his country, as reported on Monday by the association for the defense of rights Viasna.

The 36-year-old former athlete and winner of the silver medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle in London 2012 and bronze in the 50 freestyle in Rio de Janeiro 2016, was sentenced by a court in Minsk at the end of a process that It had started on December 19.

Along with her, Alexandr Opeikin, another founder of the FBSD, was also sentenced in absentia, and to the same penalty, an organization that was created with the aim of financially and legally helping Belarusian athletes persecuted by the authorities.

The sentence details that Herasimenia -world champion in 100 freestyle in Shanghai 2011- and Opeikin spread the requests for sanctions against Belarus in the media and on the Internet and that their actions had serious consequences and compromised the security of the country.

In addition, the court ruled to recover the material damages of more than 220 thousand dollars caused by the actions of the defendants to the Belarusian sports associations and organizations, as well as the state tax of about 12,600 dollars.

Meanwhile, the properties of the former athlete -retired in 2019, after being a mother- will remain frozen as compensation for the damage caused.

The sentence has not yet entered into force and can be appealed in accordance with the procedure established by law.

According to Viasna, Herasimenia, who lives in exile in Lithuania with her husband, Yauhen Tsurkin, also a Swimming champion, was also found guilty of "disseminating false information about events" that occurred in that country in 2020, during the protest. unprecedented against the re-election of President Alexandre Lukashenko, in power since 1994.

It was in this context that the swimmer signed an open letter along with other athletes from her country demanding "free elections" and created FBSD. 

In April 2021, the former athlete auctioned for $16,100 the gold medal she had won at the 2012 Istanbul Short Course World Championships to raise funds to help opposing athletes.

"This world gold is for the sake of peace in our country. With this auction I would like to support all Belarusians," he said at the time. "The black ribbon attached to the medal symbolizes all the victims and political prisoners of Belarus." 

This year, the athlete criticized the support that the Lukashenko regime provided - and continues to provide - to the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, the beginning of which found her in kyiv.

"Ukraine has never been our enemy, it is a brotherly people," he declared in the first days after the start of the invasion of Russian troops.

For more than two years, the Belarusian authorities have been carrying out a relentless repression against any movement opposing the Lukashenko regime, which is why most opposition figures are imprisoned or living in exile.

With information from Telam and AFP

The 36-year-old former athlete and winner of the silver medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle in London 2012 and bronze in the 50 freestyle in Rio de Janeiro 2016, was sentenced by a court in Minsk at the end of a process that It had started on December 19.