July 17, Pozirk. Hundreds of people in Minsk face criminal charges for allegedly participating in protest rallies that followed the 2020 election, the Viasna center reported.
The human rights activists said the scale of the crackdown was shocking and attributed it to the expiring statute of limitations for the violent disorder charge. The center added that police also filed cases under a Criminal Code article against mass riots.
On July 8, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported mass arrests under Article 342, which bans violent disorder. “Officers tell people that the arrests have been linked to a Polish documentary about protests, which featured unblurred faces of protesters,” it said.
Also read:
Rights activists report spike in prosecutions over 2020 protests
Statute of limitations offers no safety to protesters, lawyer says
