Convicted Belarus spies seek acquittal or shorter prison terms

Lithuania’s Court of Appeal heard appeals on Thursday from a Klaipėda couple sentenced to prison for spying for Belarus, LRT reported. Both are seeking acquittal or reduced sentences.

In April, the Klaipėda Regional Court sentenced Mindaugas Januitis to seven years in prison and Tatjana Beleckaja to six years and six months. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year sentence for Beleckaja but did not appeal the ruling. Both defendants filed appeals.

Beleckaja’s lawyer asked the appeal court to overturn her conviction, arguing that her actions did not constitute a crime or criminal offence. If the court rejects that argument, the defence is seeking a lighter sentence.

Januitis asked the court to terminate the case against him and release him from criminal liability, or to impose a shorter sentence. His lawyer also sought his release from criminal liability, credit for time spent in detention, partial suspension of his sentence and replacement of his remand detention with a less restrictive measure.

The hearing was held behind closed doors. Januitis attended in person in Vilnius, escorted into the courtroom by Public Security Service officers, while Beleckaja joined remotely from Panevėžys Prison.

The Klaipėda Regional Court ruled that evidence gathered during the investigation proved both defendants’ guilt. It said time spent in pre-trial detention since November 2023 would count toward their sentences. The court also ordered the confiscation of video and recording devices, along with items found in Januitis’s car. More than €8,000 that the couple received for spying was ordered to be transferred to the Lithuanian state.

According to the investigation, the couple travelled to Minsk in May 2022 and were recruited through intermediaries by Belarusian military intelligence, identified in the case as the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff, or GRU. Investigators said that, from May 2022 to November 2023, they worked with Belarusian intelligence representatives to collect and pass on information in Lithuania and Latvia in exchange for money and other rewards. They received at least €8,514, and about €900 from the sale of Januitis’s Toyota, which was used for spying, was also ordered transferred to the state.