Herasimenia, who has both World Cup and Olympic gold medals to her credit and often competed against Sarah Sjöström, has been living in exile since the fall of 2020 and was not present in the courtroom – but lives in exile in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Herasimenia was found guilty on several counts, including "calling for sanctions" and other actions "with the aim of harming national security" in Belarus, Viasna reports.
The 36-year-old, who retired in 2019, co-founded the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) the following year when protests erupted after the presidential election that incumbent Alexander Lukashenko claimed he won, while the opposition pointed to the election as rigged.
Auctioned off his WC gold
The fund provides financial and legal aid to athletes fighting the regime and has also lobbied for a boycott of sporting events in Belarus.
In April 2021, Herasimenia auctioned off her WC gold medal in the 50 m short course from Istanbul in 2012 and raised SEK 150,000 for the fund.
Herasimenia has also publicly criticized President Lukashenko for his support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
- Ukraine has never been our enemy, it is our brotherly people, Herasimenia said according to El Pais.