BelaPAN director Iryna Leŭšyna remanded in custody for another two months

December 27. Iryna Leŭšyna, director and editor-in-chief of BelaPAN news agency, detained on August 18, is to remain in detention for another two months, until February 18, 2022, she said in a letter to her family.

According to Leŭšyna, she is in a good mood. The composition of her cell has partially changed.

Former BelaPAN director Dzmitry Navažylaŭ has not been released after four months in custody. Apparently, his detention was also extended for another two months.

Leŭšyna and Navažylaŭ were charged under part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (tax evasion, resulting in damage on a large scale) and under part 1 of Art. 361-1 (creation of an extremist formation).

Media manager Andrej Aliaksandraŭ, the deputy director of BelaPAN in 2014-2018, remains in custody since January 12. Initially, Aliaksandraŭ was charged under parts 1 and 2 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them).

“It has been established that 42-year-old Andrej Aliaksandraŭ and his 31-year-old cohabitant Iryna Zlobina had been financing persons participating in mass riots and other protest actions in Minsk since August 2020, including by paying fines, compensating costs of detention in the temporary and pre-trial detention centers, etc,” Deputy Interior Minister Henadz Kazakievič commented on their arrest.

According to him, Aliaksandraŭ and Zlobina paid over 250 fines to different persons between August 22 and November 9, 2020. The funds for these purposes were provided by the By_help initiative.

On June 30, Aliaksandraŭ was also charged under part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code (high treason).

On August 31, he was declared a suspect and later charged under part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (tax evasion, resulting in damage on a large scale).

It remains unclear whether Aliaksandraŭ is charged under Art. 361-1.

On 1 November, the KGB recognised a “group of citizens from BelaPAN news agency” as an “extremist formation”.