KGB recruits political prisoners released on pardon – activists

September 28, Pozirk. The Committee for State Security (KGB) forcibly recruits former political prisoners on a mass scale, the Dissidentby human rights group reported yesterday.
The report concerns those released on pardon in 2024. Agents “insist that they sign a number of papers and agree to star in propaganda videos, and also forbid them to leave the country.”
The committee threatens new charges and pressure on families to coerce them into spying on the pro-democracy movement, according to the report. The KGB tells them to contact foundations and other groups with the purpose of extracting any information that can damage the opposition, it added.
Often, agents install spyware on their mobile phones “enabling regime agents to carry out intelligence activities online.”
Alaksandar Łukašenka has pardoned 115 people since July 3.
On August 16, he signed an edict pardoning 37 people sentenced for “extremist” crimes. Similarly, 30 people were pardoned on September 4 and 30 more on August 16.
In early July, human rights defenders reported the release of 18 political prisoners after Łukašenka had announced a pardon for his critically-ill opponents.
According to Supreme Court Chairman Valancin Sukała, 14 were released after the aforementioned announcement.
Today, there are 1,329 designated political prisoners in Belarus.
Seven more political prisoners added to Viasna list
- SocietyBySol raises nearly €37,000 for recently freed dissidentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition politician Viačorka looking forward to establishment of Belarus-Ukraine coordinating groupThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja leaves for New York to take part in UN eventsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Security, SocietyParticipants at Belarusian-Ukrainian forum in Kyiv vow to investigate transfers of Ukrainian children to BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityUkraine will probably deal with Belarus-based relay systems for Russian drone attacks in non-public way, envoy saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, PoliticsCichanoŭskaja welcomes new US sanctions against RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsTen of 25 deported political prisoners move from Lithuania to PolandThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecuritySwitzerland aligns itself with EU’s April package of sanctions against BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyŁukašenka threatens officials with prison for failing to pull flax properlyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SecurityEconomy ministry promises help to Belarusian businesses affected by Wildberries warehouse fires in RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityIrregular migrants return to Lithuanian border after US envoy leaves VilniusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Interior ministry labels 11 people as “extremists”The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyMinsk, Minsk region account for half of GDP since JanuaryThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBelarus, Azerbaijan reaffirm intentions to expand military tiesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- SocietyExpert: support for Belarusian independent media to boost regional securityThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyPolish border guards arrest harvester driver suspected of cigarette smugglingThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsWashington lifts sanctions on Biełlesbumpram, ŁakafarbaThe material is available only to POZIRK+



