Opposition leader calls for release of Japanese national arrested in Belarus

September 7, Pozirk. The arrest of a Japanese national in Belarus on spying charges is “deeply alarming,” said Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

“Like others wrongfully imprisoned, he is being denied basic human rights and dehumanized by regime propaganda,” she said on X. “We call for his immediate release and welcome the efforts of Japanese diplomats to assist him.”

Three days ago, the Belarusian state-run TV aired a propaganda broadcast, reporting the arrest of a Japanese national in southern Belarus in early July. The Committee for State Security chief investigator and reporter made one-sided accusations against the suspect, ignoring his right to the presumption of innocence.

Belarusian authorities charged the arrested with spying.

The Japanese Embassy in Belarus submitted a note to the foreign ministry on September 5 over the Belarus 1 coverage, expressing concern about violations of the rights of the arrested

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told journalists that the broadcast was “extremely regrettable.”