Viasna reports massive crackdown on protesters in Minsk

July 17, Pozirk. Hundreds of people in Minsk have faced fresh 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 caused by a Polish documentary about protests, which featured unblurred faces of protesters,” it said.

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